SAN BRUNO, Calif. — No. 13 Pepperdine women's tennis freshman Sonja Zhiyenbayeva has been named West Coast Conference (WCC) Freshman of the Week for the second straight week.

Zhiyenbayeva earned the first ranked victory of her career as the Waves traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., for ITA Kickoff Weekend.

In Pepperdine's matchup with Clemson, Zhiyenbayeva defeated No. 71 Ria Bhakta on court three by a 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 scoreline.

With the win, she improved to 3-0 in singles to start her dual match career.

The Waves have started the season with a 2-1 record, claiming wins over Illinois and No. 12 Texas.

Pepperdine returns for the home opener Friday from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center, with match time set for noon against No. 2 Texas A&M.

WCC Women's Tennis Weekly Award Winners (Jan. 27)
Singles Player – Alaia Rubio Perez, Sr., Portland
Doubles Team - Anni Moll, So., Hannah Read, So., San Diego
Freshman - Sonja Zhiyenbayeva, Fr., Pepperdine

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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