MALIBU, Calif. — In the team's biggest home match of the season to date, the #3 Pepperdine women's tennis team hosts #9 USC for a top-10 showdown at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for noon.
Saturday's match will be live-streamed via PlaySight, and admission to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is free to the public. Live stream and live stat links can be found on the women's tennis team's schedule page at pepperdinewaves.com.
Pepperdine has already faced USC this season: The Waves beat the Trojans 4-2 in the final match of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Indoor Team National Championships in February. Freshman Jasmine Conway clinched the match with her 7-6 (8), 6-2 win at the sixth position, while Pepperdine's top three of Lisa Zaar, Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen all tacked on wins for the Waves' 13th straight win over USC.
MATCH 13: #3 Pepperdine (9-3, 1-0 West Coast Conference) vs. #9 USC (12-4, 4-0 Pac 12) | Noon | Malibu, Calif. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Rising to No. 3 in the ITA team rankings this week, the Pepperdine Waves are looking for their second win over a top-10 opponent this season. Saturday's match is Pepperdine's second in a row against Pac-12 schools; on Sunday, the Waves rolled 6-1 over #12 California for their second win over the Golden Bears this season.
The Waves have looked the part of one of the nation's top teams. With two top-10 singles players in #6 Zaar and #8 Broadus — plus the nation's second-ranked, undefeated team of Broadus and Tjen — the Waves have one of the most talented rosters from top to bottom in the collegiate ranks. Five of the Waves' top six players are ranked: #58 Tjen continues her meteoric rise up the ITA singles rankings, #86 Anna Campana has held down the fourth position, plus #99 Nikki Redelijk gives the Waves five top-100 players.
Ever since facing the Trojans in Seattle, the Waves have solidified their doubles lineups and continued to ride the success of its top three players in singles play. Aside from Broadus and Tjen's dominant 12-0 start to the season, Pepperdine has gotten contributions from Zaar and Conway at the third doubles position, who have won their last five matches. In fact, the Waves have won the doubles point in all six matches dating back to their last meeting against USC.
In singles, Tjen has an eight-match win streak at the third position, which leads the team. The top three of Zaar, Broadus and Tjen have clinched the match for the Waves in the last two matches, but Redelijk has also contributed at the fifth position; recently, she helped Pepperdine with straight-set victories against #12 California and #9 Ohio State.
Earlier this week against the California Golden Bears, the Waves dominated in singles, winning five of the six matches — three of which were in straight sets. Had the remaining matches not been played out, the Waves would have swept the Golden Bears 4-0.
Aside from going for the program's unprecedented 14th-consecutive win over their crosstown rivals, a win on Saturday carries extra importance for head coach Per Nilsson. Should the Waves win, it would be the 200th win for Nilsson, who has a 199-44 record in 10 seasons at the helm of the Pepperdine women's tennis team.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
Winners of their last five matches, the #9 USC Trojans come to Malibu in search of their first win over the Waves in 14 tries. Since losing to the Waves in Seattle this past February, the Trojans have gone 7-1 — including a 4-2 upset of #2 Michigan. For their efforts, the Trojans are back in the top 10 after a rough start to the season.
The Trojans have four nationally ranked singles players: #28 Emma Charney, #61 Grace Piper, #93 Snow Han and #108 Eryn Cayetano. Of that group, Cayetano is on a remarkable 11-match win streak playing primarily at the fourth position, whereas Piper is second on the team with nine singles wins. When USC and Pepperdine met in Seattle back in February, Piper was the Trojans' lone singles winner with a 6-2, 7-5 win at the fifth position.
Earlier this season, #28 Charney found success against Pepperdine players, as she beat Redelijk and Broadus en route to winning the ITA Southwest Regional singles title in October. However, Broadus exacted revenge in Seattle with a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 win. This spring, Charney has held down the second position of the Trojans' lineup, while Han has a 5-9 record at the first position.
Over in doubles, the Trojans boast two ranked teams in #15 Cayetano and Charney; plus #42 Piper and Parker Fry. USC has won four of its last five doubles points, plus it won the doubles point against the Waves earlier this year.
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