PORTLAND, Ore. — The #7 Pepperdine women's tennis team won its 75th consecutive dual match against West Coast Conference opponents with its 7-0 sweep over Portland on Saturday afternoon.
Playing indoors at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center, the Waves (12-6, 3-0 WCC) won the doubles point and five of its six matches in straight sets to beat the Pilots (10-9, 3-3 WCC). Senior Janice Tjen clinched for the Waves at the first position with her 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over reigning WCC Singles Player of the Week Iva Zelic.
In doubles, the Waves went up 1-0 with Jasmine Conway and Lisa Zaar's win at the third position. The Waves broke the Pilots in the first game, then won all four points with Conway serving to go up a break. The match was played on serve until the Waves broke the Pilots again in the seventh game for a 5-2 lead. With Zaar serving in the final game, Pepperdine won the match 6-2 when a Portland player returned Zaar's backhand into the net.
Portland evened the score with a 6-3 win on court two, but the nation's second-ranked doubles team of Savannah Broadus and Tjen clinched the doubles point with their 6-4 win over Sally Pethybridge and Iva Zelic. Their match was played on serve until the Waves broke the Pilots for the match in the tenth game to win 6-4.
Pepperdine extended its lead to 2-0 with #13 Broadus' straight-set win over Alaia Rubio Perez. Broadus broke Rubio Perez immediately and consolidated the break in the next game en route to winning the first set 6-0. Broadus then blazed through the second set. She won the first four games before Rubio Perez held on deuce point in the fifth game. The Pepperdine junior broke Rubio Perez on deuce point in the next game, then held serve for her 6-0, 6-1 win.
One court over, #14 Zaar's match with Pethybridge was on serve until Zaar broke Pethybridge on deuce point in the fourth game. The match was put back on serve when Pethybridge broke back midway through the first set, but Zaar broke Pethybridge in the tenth game to win 6-4. Both players held serve until Zaar won a pivotal break point in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. She then finished off her match by holding serve in the final game for her 6-4, 6-3 win.
At the first position, #52 Tjen overcame losing an early break point to Iva Zelic by breaking back in the fourth game and eventually taking a 3-2 lead. Both players traded breaks until Tjen held serve in the ninth game to win the first set 6-3. From there, Tjen broke Zelic to start the second set, but Zelic responded by breaking back and consolidating the break for a 2-1 lead. The match was on serve from that point forward; Tjen held on deuce point in the twelfth game to force a tiebreak. In the breaker, neither player held a major advantage early, as both players went into the changeover tied 3-3. But out of the changeover, Tjen won the next two points to take a 5-3 lead, then Zelic put another point on the board to pull within one. Tjen would win the next two points to clinch the match with her 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory.
The rest of the matches were played out, yet the Waves rolled in all three to complete the sweep. Playing at the fourth position, #74 Nikki Redelijk went up a break early on Alexs Dimitrijevic before the Pilot held serve in the third game. Both players traded breaks, and then Redelijk won the next four games to take the first set 6-4. Redelijk's second set was much easier; the senior blanked Dimitrijevic to complete her 6-4, 6-0 win.
Pepperdine extended its lead to 6-0 with Vivian Yang's 6-2, 6-3 straight-set win at the sixth position, leaving Conway to outlast Rimona Rouf in the only three-set match of the afternoon to decide the sweep. Conway started off strong in the first set by winning her first five games before Rouf held serve in the sixth game. After winning the first set 6-1, Rouf countered with a 6-3 second-set win, forcing the match to a 10-point, tiebreak third set. Finally, in the super breaker, Conway went up 4-1 and eventually took a 4-2 lead into the first changeover, however, Rouf would eventually come back and tie the score at five all. Conway pulled away with a long rally for a 7-6 lead before capping off her 6-1, 3-6 (10-6) win.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #2 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Iva Zelic/Sally Pethybridge (POR) 6-4
2. Aleks Dimitrijevic/Rose Watanabe (POR) def. Nikki Redelijk/Vivian Yang (PEPP) 6-3
3. Jasmine Conway/Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. Alaia Rubio Perez/Rimona Rouf (POR) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. #52 Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Iva Zelic (POR) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
2. #14 Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. Sally Pethybridge (POR) 6-4, 6-3
3. #13 Savannah Broadus (PEPP) def. Alaia Rubio Perez (POR) 6-0, 6-1
4. #74 Nikki Redelijk (PEPP) def. Aleks Dimitrijevic (POR) 6-2, 6-0
5. Jasmine Conway (PEPP) def. Rimona Rouf (POR) 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
6. Vivian Yang (PEPP) def. Meagan Pearson (POR) 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 3,2,1,4,6,5
UP NEXT: The Waves finish their Pacific Northwest road trip at Gonzaga on Sunday. First serve is scheduled for noon.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and X for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
