LOS ANGELES — For the first time in what seems like ages, the Pepperdine women's tennis team will look a little different this year.
Competing in their first local tournament of the season, true freshmen Alexia Harmon, Taylor Goetz and Duru Söke combined for nine singles and doubles wins at USC's Women of Troy Invite this past weekend. The trio of freshmen played against a field of mostly Power-4 schools, giving the highly decorated recruiting class early opportunities to get better amongst some of the nation's best teams.
Pepperdine excelled in doubles. Playing with three different combinations, the Waves went 4-0 on the weekend. Harmon and sophomore Vivian Yang blanked Maeve Thornton and Elim Yan of Tennessee 6-0 on Friday, then Goetz and Söke picked up their first win of the weekend with a 6-4 result against Wisconsin's Tianna Rangan and Taylor Cataldi.
Goetz and Söke were the most successful team of the weekend, capping off their 2-0 weekend with a 6-1 rout of USC's Lily Fairclough and Simone Kay in which they were never broken.
While Goetz and Söke made their debuts earlier this fall at the Battle in the Bay Classic, this weekend marked the anticipated collegiate debut for Harmon, who was ranked No. 17 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's newcomer polls. In her first collegiate singles match, Harmon beat BYU's Grace Levelston in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. On Saturday, Harmon won her first breaker 7-6 (4) against Tennessee's Conley Raidt, but went down a break early in the second set. Harmon broke Raidt in the fourth game to make the score 3-1, then won a decisive deuce point in the sixth game en route to winning the match 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Like Harmon, Goetz picked up two singles wins over the weekend. Taking on more experienced competition, Goetz beat BYU senior Kendall Kovick on Friday, then capped off the weekend with her straight-set win over UC Santa Barbara fifth-year Ali Benedetto.
Söke rounded out the Waves' singles wins with her 6-0, 6-3 win over Wisconsin's Tianna Rangan on Friday afternoon. She also was the only Wave to go 3-0 in doubles over the weekend.
The Waves' next tournament is the ITA Regionals, held jointly at San Diego State and the University of San Diego from Oct. 17-22. At that tournament, the two singles finalists and the doubles champion will earn NCAA Tournament bids.
RESULTS
Friday Doubles
Alexia Harmon/Vivian Yang (PEPP) def. Maeve Thorton/Elim Yan (TENN), 6-0
Taylor Goetz/Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Tianna Rangan/Taylor Cataldi (WISC) 6-4
Friday Singles
Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Tianna Rangan (WISC), 6-0, 6-3
Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Grace Levelston (BYU), 6-4, 6-4
Taylor Goetz (PEPP) def. Kendall Kovick (BYU), 6-4, 6-4
Taylor Cataldi (WISC) def. Vivian Yang (PEPP) 3-2 retired
Saturday Doubles
Alexia Harmon/Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Conley Raidt/Saray Yli-Piipari (TENN), 6-4
Saturday Singles
Jana Hossam (USC) def. Taylor Goetz (PEPP), 6-1, 6-7 (9), 1-0 (10-2)
Maeve Thornton (TENN) def. Duru Söke (PEPP), 6-2, 6-4
Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Conley Raidt (TENN), 7-6 (4), 6-4
Sunday Doubles
Taylor Goetz/Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Lily Fairclough/Simone Kay (USC), 6-1
Sunday Singles
Parker Fry (USC) def.
Duru Söke (PEPP) 5-0, retired
Jana Hossam (USC) def.
Alexia Harmon (PEPP), 6-3, 7-5
Taylor Goetz (PEPP) def. Ali Benedetto (UCSB), 6-4 ,6-4
