MALIBU, Calif. — No. 6 Pepperdine women's tennis (10-3, 3-0 WCC) returns to host No. 15 Cal (5-2, 3-1 ACC) Sunday at noon from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
The two sides met this past Sunday in Berkeley, with the Waves earning a 4-2 win over the then-No. 10 Bears.
Fans unable to attend can follow the live video and live scoring
here.
Pepperdine has since picked up a dominant 4-0 victory over No. 2 Ohio State Wednesday, as the Waves did not drop a single set against the Buckeyes on any court.
The Waves have won seven straight contests entering Sunday's matchup, and now boasts a 7-1 record against ranked opponents on the season. This includes a 4-1 mark against top-10 opponents, as Pepperdine has defeated five teams ranked within the top-12 which features two wins over a team ranked No. 2.
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva earned her fifth West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week honor following her performance on the Waves' road trip, where she went 3-0 in both singles and doubles. Zhiyenbayeva earned her highest-career ranked victory against Ohio State as well, defeating No. 3 Luciana Perry in straight sets at the No. 2 position. Zhiyenbayeva, currently ranked No. 122 in the ITA singles rankings, is 10-1 on the dual match season in singles.
Alexia Harmon increased her winning streak to seven straight singles match with a win at six over the Buckeyes, as she ranks second on the team with nine victories this spring.
Duru Söke has also won seven consecutive decisions, as the sophomore has yet to lose a singles match this spring as she sits at 7-0.
Clinching the past two matches has been
Anastasiia Grechkina, who has now won three straight matches splitting time between the No. 2 and No. 3 position for Pepperdine. Grechkina returned on Pepperdine's road trip last week after missing over a month due to injury. She sits at No. 10 in the ITA singles rankings.
Chantal Sauvant has been strong at the No. 4 position for Pepperdine, winning her two most recent matches and sitting at 6-4 on the season.
Živa Falkner has occupied the No. 1 position for the Waves, earning two ranked wins on the year. Falkner is currently ranked No. 43 in the ITA singles rankings.
Pepperdine's recent doubles pairings of Zhiyenbayeva/Falkner (No. 1), Grechkina/Sauvant (No. 2) and Söke/
Shihomi Leong (No. 3) have combined for a 17-4 record this spring, with the former two both sitting at 6-1 this season.
Zhiyenbayeva and Falkner are currently ranked No. 26 in the ITA doubles rankings and earned their third ranked win of the season against Ohio State. The duo was named WCC Doubles Team of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday.
Cal has won five of seven matches this spring, and have not played since their matchup with the Waves this past weekend. The Bears will take on UC Santa Barbara today on the road.
The Bears are ranked No. 15 in the ITA rankings and have four singles players ranked within the top-100, led by No. 11 Berta Passola Folch. Their roster also features four ranked doubles pairings, as Cal was able to secure the doubles point over the Waves this past Sunday.
The Waves improved to 16-38 all-time against the Bears with their victory this past weekend. Pepperdine has won nine of the 25 all-time meetings in Malibu.
Next up, the Waves will host No. 14 NC State Thursday 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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWTEN.
