MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine women's tennis head coach Tassilo Schmid has announced the additions of transfer Živa Falkner and freshman Sonja Zhiyenbayeva to the program ahead of the 2025-26 season.
 
"Živa and Sonja are phenomenal additions to our Pepperdine family!" said head coach Tassilo Schmid. "They're not only world-class talents who've competed at the highest level, but also incredible people who truly fit into the culture of our program. We couldn't be more excited to have them with us."
 
Falkner, a native of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, arrives with a proven record of success at the international level. Her career-high WTA rankings feature 397 in singles and 213 in doubles. A member of the Slovenian National Team from the U12 level to now, she featured for her country at the 2017 European Youth Summer Olympics in Hungary, earning a silver medal in girls doubles. She also earned bronze at European Championships at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels. 
 
Falkner is coming off a successful 2024 campaign which saw her win an ITF singles title at the W15 Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She added a pair of semifinal appearances at the W15 Bol 4 and W15 Antalya to go along with six other quarterfinal berths. She showed her prowess in doubles as well, winning four ITF titles this past year with multiple partners including the W35 Torino, W50 Zagreb, W75 Sibenik and W15 Monastir.
 
Zhiyenbayeva, a native of Almaty, Kazakhstan, comes to Pepperdine with career-high WTA ranks of 630 in singles and 754 in doubles. In her ITF career, she has made four singles semifinals and three finals including a pair of singles titles in 2024, winning the W15 Antalya and W15 Madrid.
 
On the junior circuit, Zhiyenbayeva was ranked as high as 15th in the ITF world junior rankings and played in all four junior doubles grand slams. In total, she won seven junior singles titles and 10 doubles titles. Her wins included a single triumph at the J300 Villena in 2024 and a doubles crown at the J500 Cairo in the same year.

On the upcoming campaign, Zhiyenbayeva noted, "I am really motivated and ready to give my 110% to help the team have a great season."
 
The duo will join a young Waves squad heading into the 2025-26. The reigning WCC Champions will look to win their 12th consecutive conference title and reach their 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament this upcoming season in Schmid's first full season at the helm.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine women's tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 40 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 28 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Regional as a team eight times in the past nine tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 33 WCC Championships including an active streak of 11 consecutive conference titles. With its 24 total All-Americans, the program has also consistently sent players to the pro circuit following their time in Malibu.
 
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