MALIBU, Calif. — No. 6 Pepperdine women's tennis (13-4, 4-0 WCC) earned a 6-1 victory over Portland (6-8, 1-3 WCC) Sunday afternoon from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
With the win, the Waves remained undefeated in West Coast Conference (WCC) play, moving to 4-0 in league play.
The Waves earned the doubles point and five two-set wins in singles, while falling in one third set 10-point tiebreak.
Pepperdine improved to 19-0 all-time versus the Pilots with the win.
"We had a really good week of practice and we showed that today against Portland," said head coach
Tassilo Schmid. "I can feel that the team is hungry to take the next step and that's what we are working towards."
Anastasiia Grechkina and
Živa Falkner took the doubles courts at the No. 1 position for the Waves for the second straight week, and earned their second victory together on the season. The duo improved to 2-0 as a pair with a 6-0 triumph over Maria Galatescu and Alaia Rubio Perez.
Chantal Sauvant and
Alexia Harmon then clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win on court three, giving the Waves a 1-0 advantage. The tandem is now 3-2 on the season.
Duru Söke and
Shihomi Leong saw their doubles match at the No. 2 position abandoned while ahead 5-2.
The Waves showed their dominance in singles, beginning with a 6-0, 6-3 win on court three from Grechkina over Nadine Arbaizar Martinez. Grechkina gave the Waves a 2-0 lead and improved her singles record this season to 7-5, with a 2-1 mark in WCC play.
Falkner then collected a 6-1, 6-1 win at the No. 1 position over Alaia Rubio Perez, improving her singles record to 6-6 this season.
Seconds later, Sauvant clinched the victory for the Waves with a win on court four. She defeated Maria Galatescu, 6-1, 6-1, putting Pepperdine ahead 4-0. Sauvant now sits at 9-4 on the season in singles and has won five consecutive matches. She also is a team-best 4-0 in conference play.
Leong secured her straight set win immediately after as well, defeating Lexie Flores 6-2, 6-0 on court five. Leong picked up her fourth singles win of the season and now sits at 4-4 with a 2-0 mark at the No. 5 position.
Zhiyenbayeva earned her team-best 12th singles win of the campaign next on court two, taking down Dariya Radulova in two sets, 6-4, 6-3. Zhiyenbayeva is now 12-2 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
The Pilots secured a point on court six to round out the match, winning a 10-point tiebreak which acted as the third set, bringing the final scoreline to 6-1.
With today's results, the Waves as a team are now 8-0 in doubles and 17-4 in singles in WCC play.
RESULTS
Doubles
1.
Živa Falkner/
Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. Alaia Rubio Perez/Maria Galatescu (PORT): 6-0
2.
Duru Söke/
Shihomi Leong (PEPP) ABN vs. Lexie Flores/Dariya Raduolva (PORT): 5-2
3.
Chantal Sauvant/
Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Nadine Arbaizar Martinez/Meagan Pearson (PORT): 6-2
Order of finish: 1,3
Singles
1. No. 23
Živa Falkner (PEPP) def. Alaia Rubio Perez (PORT): 6-1, 6-1
2. No. 36
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Dariya Radulova (PORT): 6-4, 6-3
3. No. 13
Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. Nadine Arbaizar Martinez (PORT): 6-0, 6-3
4.
Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Maria Galatescu (PORT): 6-1, 6-1
5.
Shihomi Leong (PEPP) def. Lexie Flores (PORT): 6-0, 6-2
6. Meagan Pearson (PORT) def.
Liam Oved (PEPP): 6-4, 3-6, [10-8]
Order of finish: 3,1,4,5,2,6
Pepperdine hits the road next, traveling to No. 46 San Diego this Friday with match time set for 2 p.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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWTEN.
