MALIBU, Calif. — No. 15 Pepperdine women's tennis (3-2) fell by a score of 4-3 to Arizona State (5-2) Sunday afternoon from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
The match came down to the Sun Devils claiming wins on all three singles courts that went to a decisive third set, clinching the match with an 11-9 tiebreak win on court six with the match tied 3-3.
Pepperdine earned the doubles point and saw straight set singles victories from
Duru Söke and
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva to hold a 3-1 advantage early on.
"The girls fought hard today but credit to ASU as they managed to swing three tight matches in their favor and earned the win," said head coach
Tassilo Schmid. "We'll take the lessons from this one, regroup, and be ready to take a step forward on Friday against UCLA."
The Waves earned the doubles point with two quick wins on courts two and three, beginning with
Shihomi Leong and Söke earning a 6-2 win at the No. 3 position. Playing their first doubles match together this season,
Chantal Sauvant and
Alexia Harmon then clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win at flight two. Zhiyenbayeva and
Živa Falkner saw their match go unfinished on one, while up a break at 5-3.
Sauvant improved to 5-0 in doubles this season with the win, while Leong earned her first collegiate doubles victory.
Söke then continued the strong start to her season with a convincing singles win to put the Waves ahead 2-0. She defeated Karsyn Evans in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) on court five, improving to 2-0 in singles this dual match season.
After dropping the bout on court three, the Waves took a 3-1 lead as Zhiyenbayeva pulled out a straight set win on two. Zhiyenbayeva won the first set by a 6-4 margin, before going to a tiebreak in the second set. Trailing 0-3 in the tiebreak, she began to mount her comeback, eventually prevailing by an 8-6 mark. With the win, Zhiyenbayeva improved to 5-0 on the season through five dual matches.
Falkner took part in a heavyweight battle between two players ranked in the top-50, as she matched up with No. 16 Emilija Tverijonaite from the Sun Devils at the No. 1 position. After Falkner took the first set 7-5, the Sun Devils were able to force a third set with a 7-5 win in the second, eventually claiming the match with a 6-3 scoreline in the third.
Harmon also went the distance on court four, trading 6-4 scorelines in the first two sets, as Arizona State was able to take the match 7-5 in the third. Harmon's match ended with the final singles court already in a third set tiebreak on court six. Leong battled for the Waves, trailing 6-2 in the tiebreak and saving six total match points throughout the tiebreak. Sarang Lim eventually earned the win (4-6, 6-3, 7-6 [11-9]) to give the Sun Devils the 4-3 road victory.
RESULTS
Doubles
1.
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva/
Živa Falkner (PEPP) ABN vs. Emilija Tverijonaite/Vivian Ovrootsky (ASU): 5-3
2.
Alexia Harmon/
Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Lily Taylor/Karsyn Evans (ASU): 6-2
3.
Shihomi Leong/
Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Aiya Nupbay/Sara Svetac (ASU): 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2
Singles
1. No. 16 Emilija Tverijonaite (ASU) def. No. 49
Živa Falkner (PEPP): 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
2.
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Sara Svetac (ASU): 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
3. Vivian Ovrootsky (ASU) def.
Chantal Sauvant (PEPP): 6-1, 6-2
4. Lily Taylor (ASU) def.
Alexia Harmon (PEPP): 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
5.
Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Karsyn Evans (ASU): 6-1, 6-1
6. Sarang Lim (ASU) def.
Shihomi Leong (PEPP): 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9)
Order of finish: 5,3,2,1,4,6
The Waves return Friday to host No. 19 UCLA, taking on the Bruins at 2 p.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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