MALIBU, Calif. — No. 14 Pepperdine women's tennis (4-3) earned a 4-0 shutout victory over No. 6 USC (7-3) Sunday afternoon from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

The victory marked the 17th consecutive win for the Waves over the Trojans. It also marked the third win over a top-12 ranked team this season for the Waves.

Sonja Zhiyenbayeva, Živa Falkner and Alexia Harmon tabbed straight set singles victories to clinch the match for the Waves, who also earned the doubles point. The Waves won the first set on five of the six singles courts en route to the 4-0 win. 

The 4-0 win marked the Waves' first contest this season without dropping a match on any singles court. It also marked Pepperdine's first 4-0 over a top-10 opponent since defeating the then-No. 9 Trojans by the same scoreline this past March. The last three matchups between the two programs have been 4-0 victories in Pepperdine's favor.

The Trojans won the first doubles bout on court one, as the Waves needed heroics on two and three with both matches sitting at 5-5. First it was Alexia Harmon and Chantal Sauvant getting the break to win their match on two, 7-5, as the doubles point was to be decided at the No. 3 position.

Picking up where they left off Friday, Duru Söke and Shihomi Leong also got the pivotal break and prevailed by a 7-5 scoreline to secure the doubles point for the Waves. Söke and Leong improved to 3-1 on the season together while Harmon and Sauvant moved to 2-1.

Rebounding from her first career defeat Friday, Zhiyenbayeva made quick work of Immi Haddad in straight sets to put the Waves ahead 2-0. Zhiyenbayeva took the match, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 2 position, moving to 6-1 in her impressive freshman campaign.

Falkner also posted a quick two-set win at the No. 1 position, taking down No. 32 Jana Hossam of the Trojans. Falkner triumphed 6-3 in both sets, earning her second top-35 win of the season, while putting Pepperdine in a commanding 3-0 lead.

Closing out the match soon after on court five was Harmon, who defeated Krisha Mahendran by a 6-2, 6-3 mark. Harmon moved to 4-2 on the season with the win, claiming both of her matches on the week.

Sauvant went unfinished on court three, after taking the first set by a 6-3 score before dropping the second set.

Söke remained unbeaten on the season going unfinished at the No. 4 position. She took the first set 6-1, before falling in set two, and held a 2-1 lead in the third when the match was abandoned.

Leong had dropped her first set on court six, and had battled to a 4-4 scoreline in the second set before being abandoned.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Lily Fairclough/Jana Hossam (USC) def. No. 48 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva/Živa Falkner (PEPP) 6-3
2. Alexia Harmon/Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Dani Borruel/Eugenia Zozaya (USC) 7-5
3. Shihomi Leong/Duru Söke (PEPP) def. Emma Charney/Immi Haddad (USC) 7-5
Order of finish: 1,2,3

Singles
1. No. 57 Živa Falkner (PEPP) def. No. 32 Jana Hossam (USC): 6-3, 6-3
2. Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Immi Haddad (USC) 6-3, 6-1
3. Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 89 Eugenia Zozaya (USC): 6-3, 1-6, 1-1
4. Duru Söke (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 39 Emma Charney (USC): 6-1, 3-6, 2-1
5. Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Krisha Mahendran (USC): 6-2, 6-3
6. Shihomi Leong (PEPP) ABN vs. Dani Borruel (USC): 2-6, 4-4
Order of finish: 2,1,5

The Waves will hit the road to begin conference play next, heading to Washington State for a matchup on Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 11 a.m.

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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