PULLMAN, Wash. — No. 16 Pepperdine women's tennis (5-3, 1-0 WCC) picked up a 4-3 road victory at No. 68 Washington State (7-5, 0-1 WCC) in the first West Coast Conference match of the season from Hollingbery Fieldhouse Tuesday afternoon.
The Waves clinched the match at a 4-2 scoreline, before defaulting the final match, in which
Shihomi Leong had won the first set for the Waves by a 6-1 scoreline.
Alexia Harmon clinched the match for the Waves after
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva and
Chantal Sauvant each earned singles victories which followed Pepperdine claiming the doubles point.
The Waves improved to 4-0 all-time against the Cougars with the win and improved its streak to 14 consecutive conference-opening victories, which is every season since the WCC began featuring a round-robin conference schedule to award a regular season champion.
Živa Falkner and Zhiyenbayeva came out with a dominant 6-0 win at the No. 1 doubles position, as the tandem improved to 3-1 on the season together.
Anastasiia Grechkina and Sauvant clinched the doubles point soon after on court two, claiming a 6-2 win which gave Pepperdine a 1-0 lead. Grechkina and Sauvant are now 5-0 at the No. 2 doubles position this season for the Waves.
Moving to singles, Zhiyenbayeva asserted herself early on court three, winning the first set by a 6-0 mark. She went on to take the second set, 6-3, giving the Waves a 2-0 advantage in the match. Zhiyenbayeva is now 7-1 in her dual match career with the Waves.
With only four courts available at the Cougars' indoor facility,
Alexia Harmon began her match at the No. 5 position shortly after Zhiyenbayeva's match concluded as flights 1-4 began the action.
After dropping the match on court two,
Chantal Sauvant got the point back for the Waves with a two-set win on court four. Sauvant posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over Yura Nakagawa to put the Waves in position to clinch at 3-1. Sauvant improved to 3-3 in singles this season with the victory.
The Cougars got another point back on court one, making it a 3-2 Pepperdine lead with the delayed start for the No. 5 and No. 6 positions left.
Harmon was able to earn a win on five in under an hour, giving the Waves the team victory. Harmon claimed the first set 6-0, before a 6-1 triumph in the second set to clinch the match for the Waves.
Shihomi Leong saw her match defaulted on court six after the Waves had clinched the match, as Leong had won the first set by a 6-1 mark. Pepperdine elected to default after clinching the match, having to travel to Spokane for its match with Gonzaga tomorrow.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 26
Živa Falkner/
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Chisato Kanemaki/Maxine Murphy (WSU): 6-0
2.
Anastasiia Grechkina/
Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) vs. Eva Alvarez/Sande/Ava-Monet Sycamore (WSU): 6-2
3.
Alexia Harmon/
Shihomi Leong (PEPP) ABN vs. Zali Morris/Yura Nakagawa (WSU): 3-4
Order of finish: 1,2
Singles
1. Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. No. 43
Živa Falkner (PEPP): 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
2. Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. No. 10
Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP): 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 122
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva def. Martina Puvill (WSU): 6-0, 6-3
4.
Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Yura Nakagawa (WSU): 6-3, 6-2
5.
Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Chisato Kanemkai (WSU): 6-0, 6-1
6. Ava-Monet Sycamore (WSU) def.
Shihomi Leong (PEPP): 1-6, default
Order of finish: 3,2,4,1,5
The Waves return tomorrow at Gonzaga, with match time set for 2 p.m. in Spokane.
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.
