Friday, May 15
Athens, Ga.
10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET
Pepperdine University
0
vs
4
Ohio State
No. 11 Women's Tennis Falls to No. 3 Ohio State in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/15/2026 6:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. — No. 11 Pepperdine women's tennis (21-5, 7-0 WCC) saw its postseason run end with a 4-0 defeat to No. 3 Ohio State (27-4, 12-1 B1G) in the NCAA Quarterfinals Friday from Dan Megill Tennis Complex on the campus of Georgia.
The Waves saved seven match points in total, including four straight from Živa Falkner while her match was in the second set. Pepperdine was up a break in the third set on all three courts that were eventually unfinished.
Anastasiia Grechkina and Chantal Sauvant earned a doubles win over No. 34Â Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez, but the Buckeyes were victorious on courts one and three to claim the doubles point.
Moving to singles, the Waves picked up wins in the first set on courts five and six with Ohio State getting out on the front foot on 1-4.Â
The Buckeyes claimed two-set victories on courts two and three to pull ahead 3-0, with Falkner then trailing 2-5, 0-40 on court one. Falkner refused to let the match end, saving four consecutive match points, eventually saving a fifth later in the set, then prevailing to force a third set.
Sauvant also battled back to claim her second set, forcing a decisive third, as Duru Söke and Alexia Harmon each went to a third set as well.
With four Waves battling in the third set, the Buckeyes claimed a 6-4 win on court five, after Söke had saved two straight match points, to advance Ohio State into the next round.
Pepperdine's season ends with the Waves reaching the quarterfinal round for the seventh time in the past ten seasons, having boasted 13 ranked victories including five over top-10 opponents. The Waves were 8-0 in true road matches, including the upset at No. 6 Oklahoma in the NCAA Round of 16.
Singles
1. No. 40 Živa Falkner (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 5 Teah Chavez (OSU): 3-6, 7-5, 4-2
2. No. Luciana Perry (OSU) def. No. 46 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP): 6-1, 7-6(2)
3. Sophia CisseIgnatiev (OSU) def. No. 35 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) 6-2, 6-4
4. Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 123 Audrey Spencer (OSU):Â 3-6, 6-2, 4-0
5. No. 76 Nao Nishino (OSU) def. No. 121 Duru Söke (PEPP) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Alexia Harmon (PEPP) ABN vs. Alessia Cau (OSU):Â 6-0, 5-7, 4-3
Order of finish: 2,3,5
Doubles
1. No. 23 Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry (OSU): def. No. 16 Živa Falkner/Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) 6-1
2. Chantal Sauvant/Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. No. 34 Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez (OSU): 6-2
3. Sophia CisseIgnatiev/Audrey Spencer (OSU) def. Duru Söke/Shihomi Leong (PEPP) 6-4
Order of finish: 1,2,3
The Waves are primed to return their entire singles and doubles lineup for the 2026-27 campaign.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine women's tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 41 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 29 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Super Regional as a team nine times in the past ten tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 34 WCC Championships including an active streak of 12 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.Â
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWTEN.
The Waves saved seven match points in total, including four straight from Živa Falkner while her match was in the second set. Pepperdine was up a break in the third set on all three courts that were eventually unfinished.
Anastasiia Grechkina and Chantal Sauvant earned a doubles win over No. 34Â Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez, but the Buckeyes were victorious on courts one and three to claim the doubles point.
Moving to singles, the Waves picked up wins in the first set on courts five and six with Ohio State getting out on the front foot on 1-4.Â
The Buckeyes claimed two-set victories on courts two and three to pull ahead 3-0, with Falkner then trailing 2-5, 0-40 on court one. Falkner refused to let the match end, saving four consecutive match points, eventually saving a fifth later in the set, then prevailing to force a third set.
Sauvant also battled back to claim her second set, forcing a decisive third, as Duru Söke and Alexia Harmon each went to a third set as well.
With four Waves battling in the third set, the Buckeyes claimed a 6-4 win on court five, after Söke had saved two straight match points, to advance Ohio State into the next round.
Pepperdine's season ends with the Waves reaching the quarterfinal round for the seventh time in the past ten seasons, having boasted 13 ranked victories including five over top-10 opponents. The Waves were 8-0 in true road matches, including the upset at No. 6 Oklahoma in the NCAA Round of 16.
Singles
1. No. 40 Živa Falkner (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 5 Teah Chavez (OSU): 3-6, 7-5, 4-2
2. No. Luciana Perry (OSU) def. No. 46 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP): 6-1, 7-6(2)
3. Sophia CisseIgnatiev (OSU) def. No. 35 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) 6-2, 6-4
4. Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) ABN vs. No. 123 Audrey Spencer (OSU):Â 3-6, 6-2, 4-0
5. No. 76 Nao Nishino (OSU) def. No. 121 Duru Söke (PEPP) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Alexia Harmon (PEPP) ABN vs. Alessia Cau (OSU):Â 6-0, 5-7, 4-3
Order of finish: 2,3,5
Doubles
1. No. 23 Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry (OSU): def. No. 16 Živa Falkner/Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) 6-1
2. Chantal Sauvant/Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. No. 34 Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez (OSU): 6-2
3. Sophia CisseIgnatiev/Audrey Spencer (OSU) def. Duru Söke/Shihomi Leong (PEPP) 6-4
Order of finish: 1,2,3
The Waves are primed to return their entire singles and doubles lineup for the 2026-27 campaign.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine women's tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 41 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 29 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Super Regional as a team nine times in the past ten tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 34 WCC Championships including an active streak of 12 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.Â
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
