MALIBU, Calif. — No. 19 Pepperdine women's tennis (2-1) hosts a marquee matchup for its home opener Friday at noon, welcoming No. 2 Texas A&M (5-0) to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

The first 100 students and all Jr. Waves members will have free Mister Softee available for the match. Live streaming and scoring for the match can be found here.

Last time out, the Waves fell by a narrow 4-3 margin against Clemson at ITA Kickoff Weekend from Knoxville, Tenn.

Match Notes

• Sonja Zhiyenbayeva received WCC Freshman of the Week for the second straight week to begin her collegiate career.
• Zhiyenbayeva picked up her first career ranked singles win against Clemson, defeating No. 71 Ria Bhakta.
• Zhiyenbayeva has posted a 3-0 singles record at flight three for the Waves this season.
• Živa Falkner has registered back-to-back singles victories at the No. 1 position, with a 2-1 singles record this season.
• Anastasiia Grechkina and Chantal Sauvant have an unblemished 3-0 mark at No. 2 doubles on the dual match season.
• Grechkina has also tabbed a 2-1 record at No. 2 singles.
• Alexia Harmon has begun her spring campaign with a 2-1 singles mark as well.
• Sauvant and Shihomi Leong have each gone 1-1 in singles to begin their collegiate careers.
• As a team, the Waves have posted an 11-5 mark in singles while being 4-4 in doubles.

Series History

• The Waves have recorded a 6-1 record in the all-time series with Texas A&M.
• The lone loss came this past season in College Station.
• The series began in 1984, but the two sides have played just two dual matches since the 2000 season. 
• The Waves previously earned wins in Malibu against the Aggies in 1985 and 1990.

Scouting The Opponent

• The Aggies have started the season with a 5-0 record, including a 4-0 mark at home.
• The matchup marks the first true road test for the Aggies, who enter ranked No. 2 in the ITA team rankings.
• Mia Kupres (No. 34) and Daria Smetannikov (No. 83) enter the match ranked in singles.
• The duo also comes in as the No. 57 doubles team in the nation, with Violeta Martinez and Anna Perelman at No. 76.

The Waves will return next on Sunday, Feb. 15, hosting Arizona State at 11 a.m. from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

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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