MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine women's tennis and head coach Tassilo Schmid have announced the full spring 2026 dual match schedule.
The Waves will play 21 dual matches in total with 11 from Ralph-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu. Pepperdine will face a challenging non-conference schedule that includes several Power Four programs and perennial postseason opponents along with seven West Coast Conference matches.
The schedule features nine matchups with teams that finished ranked within the top-20 at the end of 2024-25, with every non-conference match being with a program that finished last season ranked. The Waves will take on seven teams who advanced into last season's Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Pepperdine opens the spring with a marquee neutral-site matchup against Illinois on Jan. 16 in Waco, Texas, before heading to Austin to take on Texas on Jan. 18. The Waves will then travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 24-25, opening against Washington before facing either Tennessee or Clemson on day two.
A return to Malibu follows with the home opener against reigning national runner-up Texas A&M on Jan. 30. Should the Waves win both of their matches at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, they will continue on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 6-10 in Chicago.
Pepperdine resumes home action on Feb. 15 against Arizona State before welcoming UCLA (Feb. 20) and USC (Feb. 22) as part of a standout three-match homestand against a trio of west coast powerhouses.
The Waves will then embark on a West Coast road stretch in early March, opening conference play at Washington State (March 3) and Gonzaga (March 4), followed by a non-conference road match at Stanford (March 6). The Waves will then return to WCC play at Santa Clara (March 7), ending the road trip with a non-conference battle at Cal (March 8).
A five-match homestand in Malibu anchors the middle of the schedule, beginning with Ohio State on March 11 and continuing with a return trip to Malibu from Cal on March 15. Next, the Waves will welcome NC State (March 19) and Cal Poly (March 21) before returning to conference action against Portland on March 29.
The Waves will then hit the road again at San Diego on April 3 before closing the regular season with a pair of home conference matches against Loyola Marymount (April 14) and Saint Mary's (April 17) in Malibu.
The postseason begins April 23-25 at the West Coast Conference Championships, where Pepperdine will look to claim its 12th consecutive WCC title and earn its 29th straight NCAA Tournament berth.
The fall season concluded with Anastasiia Grechkina earning a top-ten singles victory at the NCAA Singles Championships after winning the ITA Southwest Regional title. Grechkina came in at No. 7 in the latest ITA singles rankings, with her and Alexia Harmon tabbing No. 78 in the doubles rankings.
The Waves went 15-12 this past spring, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 37 Wake Forest in the opening round. As a team, Pepperdine finished in the top 25 in the year-end ITA rankings for the 12th straight year.
2026 PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS SCHEDULE
Jan. 16 vs. Illinois (Waco, Texas) - 11 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. PT
Jan. 18 at Texas - Noon CT / 10 a.m. PT
Jan. 24 vs. Washington – ITA Kickoff (Knoxville, Tenn.) - TBD
Jan. 25 vs. Tennessee/Clemson – ITA Kickoff (Knoxville, Tenn.) - TBD
Jan. 30 vs. Texas A&M - 12 p.m.
Feb. 6–10 at ITA National Team Indoor Championships (Chicago, Ill.)
Feb. 15 vs. Arizona State - 11 a.m.
Feb. 20 vs. UCLA - 2 p.m.
Feb. 22 vs. USC - Noon
March 3 at Washington State* - 11 a.m.
March 4 at Gonzaga* - Noon
March 6 at Stanford - 2 p.m.
March 7 at Santa Clara* - 11 a.m.
March 8 at Cal - 4 p.m.
March 11 vs. Ohio State - 2 p.m.
March 15 vs. Cal - 1 p.m.
March 19 vs. NC State - 2 p.m.
March 21 vs. Cal Poly - 1 p.m.
March 29 vs. Portland* - Noon
April 3 at San Diego* - 2 p.m.
April 14 vs. Loyola Marymount* - 4 p.m.
April 17 vs. Saint Mary's* - Noon
April 23–25 at WCC Championships
* West Coast Conference Match
Home Matches in Bold
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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