SAN BRUNO, Calif. — No. 7 Pepperdine women's tennis transfer
Živa Falkner has been named West Coast Conference (WCC) Singles Player of the Week, announced today by the conference.
Falkner picked up a convincing victory at the No. 1 position for the Waves this past Sunday, helping Pepperdine defeat Portland by a score of 6-1 to improve to 4-0 in conference play.
The award marks the third Singles Player of the Week honor for Falkner this season, as she has also been honored three times as part of the conference's Doubles Team of the Week.
Matching up with Portland's Alaia Rubio Perez on Sunday, Falkner dropped just two games across two sets to earn a 6-1, 6-1 victory. The win gave Pepperdine a 3-0 lead in the match, which was clinched minutes after Falkner's victory.
Falkner has played at the No. 1 position all season for the Waves, achieving a 6-6 record which includes a 3-3 mark against ranked opponents. She has earned wins over the No. 2, No. 11 and No. 32 ranked singles players in the country throughout the season.
In today's ITA singles rankings, Falkner came in at No. 32, while being No. 8 in the doubles rankings alongside
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva.
The Waves will look to remain undefeated in conference play this week, matching up with No. 39 San Diego this Friday at 2 p.m. on the road.
West Coast Conference Weekly Awards (Mar. 31, 2026)
Singles - Živa Falkner, Tr., Pepperdine
Doubles - Lidia Gonzalez, Gr., and Camilia Samel-Druz, So., LMU
Freshman - Helene Schnack, Fr., LMU
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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