Friday, April 24
Fairfield, Calif.
3:00 PM
Pepperdine University
vs
WCC Semifinal
No. 11 Women's Tennis Set for WCC Tournament
4/23/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 11 Pepperdine women's tennis (16-4, 7-0 WCC) enters the West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament as the No. 1 seed, set to begin with a semifinal matchup Friday at 3 p.m.
The Championships take place from April 23-25 from Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield, Calif. Pepperdine will take on the winner of fourth-seeded LMU versus fifth-seeded Portland, set to be contested today at 3 p.m.
Pepperdine is looking to secure its 12th straight WCC Tournament title dating back to 2013, and 34th overall. The Waves went 7-0 in conference play during the regular season, securing their 14th straight WCC Regular Season Title.
The Waves swept the WCC major awards with the winners featuring Živa Falkner as Co-Player of the Year, Sonja Zhiyenbayeva as Freshman of the Year and Tassilo Schmid as Coach of the Year.
In addition, seven Waves were honored as all-conference selections, with Falkner, Zhiyenbayeva, Anastasiia Grechkina, Chantal Sauvant and Duru Söke each earning All-WCC laurels in both singles and doubles.
Shihomi Leong also tabbed all-conference honors in doubles, while Alexia Harmon was named All-WCC Singles honorable mention in addition to WCC All-Academic honorable mention.
Pepperdine has won five straight matches to end the regular season, a campaign that featured nine ranked victories including four wins over teams ranked in the top-10.
The Waves are currently No. 11 in the ITA team rankings and have four currently ranked in singles with Grechkina (No. 29), Falkner (No. 41), Zhiyenbayeva (No. 50) and Söke (No. 119). Falkner and Zhiyenbayeva are also currently ranked No. 18 in doubles.
Pepperdine defeated both LMU and Portland during the regular season, defeating the Lions 7-0 while taking down the Pilots 6-1.
The Waves are 5-0 against the Pilots all-time in WCC Tournament history, most recently meeting in the 2015 Championship match. Pepperdine is 8-1 in postseason play against LMU, and have matched up with the Lions in five of the past six tournaments, coming away victorious in each. Last season's semifinal saw a 4-0 win for the Waves before a 4-2 triumph in the Championship match against San Diego.
West Coast Conference Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 23 (Quarterfinals)
LMU vs. Portland — 3 p.m.
Washington State vs. Santa Clara — 6 p.m.
Friday, April 24 (Semifinals)
Pepperdine vs. LMU/Portland — 3 p.m.
San Diego vs. Washington State/Santa Clara — 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 25
Championship — 2 p.m.
The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the regional round set for the weekend of May 1-3.
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.
The Championships take place from April 23-25 from Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield, Calif. Pepperdine will take on the winner of fourth-seeded LMU versus fifth-seeded Portland, set to be contested today at 3 p.m.
Pepperdine is looking to secure its 12th straight WCC Tournament title dating back to 2013, and 34th overall. The Waves went 7-0 in conference play during the regular season, securing their 14th straight WCC Regular Season Title.
The Waves swept the WCC major awards with the winners featuring Živa Falkner as Co-Player of the Year, Sonja Zhiyenbayeva as Freshman of the Year and Tassilo Schmid as Coach of the Year.
In addition, seven Waves were honored as all-conference selections, with Falkner, Zhiyenbayeva, Anastasiia Grechkina, Chantal Sauvant and Duru Söke each earning All-WCC laurels in both singles and doubles.
Shihomi Leong also tabbed all-conference honors in doubles, while Alexia Harmon was named All-WCC Singles honorable mention in addition to WCC All-Academic honorable mention.
Pepperdine has won five straight matches to end the regular season, a campaign that featured nine ranked victories including four wins over teams ranked in the top-10.
The Waves are currently No. 11 in the ITA team rankings and have four currently ranked in singles with Grechkina (No. 29), Falkner (No. 41), Zhiyenbayeva (No. 50) and Söke (No. 119). Falkner and Zhiyenbayeva are also currently ranked No. 18 in doubles.
Pepperdine defeated both LMU and Portland during the regular season, defeating the Lions 7-0 while taking down the Pilots 6-1.
The Waves are 5-0 against the Pilots all-time in WCC Tournament history, most recently meeting in the 2015 Championship match. Pepperdine is 8-1 in postseason play against LMU, and have matched up with the Lions in five of the past six tournaments, coming away victorious in each. Last season's semifinal saw a 4-0 win for the Waves before a 4-2 triumph in the Championship match against San Diego.
West Coast Conference Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 23 (Quarterfinals)
LMU vs. Portland — 3 p.m.
Washington State vs. Santa Clara — 6 p.m.
Friday, April 24 (Semifinals)
Pepperdine vs. LMU/Portland — 3 p.m.
San Diego vs. Washington State/Santa Clara — 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 25
Championship — 2 p.m.
The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the regional round set for the weekend of May 1-3.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
