Zhiyenbayeva & Beekman Claim ITA Women’s Tennis Southwest Regional Awards
6/9/2026 3:17:00 PM | Women's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. — Pepperdine women's tennis received a pair of regional awards from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), announced today.
Freshman Sonja Zhiyenbayeva was named ITA Southwest Region Player to Watch and assistant coach Ben Beekman was named ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
The duo helped lead the Waves to an NCAA quarterfinal appearance and West Coast Conference (WCC) championship this season, as Pepperdine finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final ITA team rankings. Pepperdine was also ranked No. 1 in the ITA's final mid-major rankings released earlier this month.
Zhiyenbayeva had a breakout freshman season for the Waves, earning ITA Southwest Region Player to Watch. She posted a 16-3 singles record on the year, splitting time between the No. 2 and No. 3 position.Â
She logged four ranked singles wins on the season, including a victory over No. 3 Lucianna Perry in March. In doubles, she posted five ranked wins which featured victories over the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked tandems in the country. Overall, she was 14-4 in doubles and 13-2 alongside Živa Falkner.
Zhiyenbayeva was named WCC Freshman of the Year after earning WCC Freshman of the Week seven times throughout the season. She was an All-WCC Singles First Team and All-WCC Doubles First Team honoree, having gone undefeated in both singles and doubles in conference play.
"Sonja absolutely deserves this award," said head coach Tassilo Schmid. "I remember when she joined Pepperdine last fall after a longer injury, from day one she trusted the process here and is continuing moving in the right direction. I am very excited about her next steps as a tennis player and we will keep pushing together in the right direction."
Beekman wraps up his second season with the Waves earning ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Beekman helped Pepperdine bring in four new players to the program and lineup in 2025-26, as seven Waves received all-conference accolades this season, including all four newcomers. Both Zhiyenbayeva (WCC Freshman of the Year) and Falkner (WCC Co-Player of the Year) took home major conference awards, as the duo also finished ranked No. 13 in the ITA doubles rankings.
"Ben is an absolute beast," noted Schmid. "I am lucky to have him as my assistant and he has done an amazing job here since I started. What makes him so good is how much he cares for our players and this University."Â
Pepperdine posted a 21-5 overall record on the season, going undefeated in conference play on the way to its 12th straight conference title. Beekman helped guide the Waves to 13 ranked wins throughout the season, including five victories over top-10 opponents. The Waves defeated UC Santa Barbara and Stanford in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament before knocking off sixth-ranked Oklahoma on the road in the NCAA Super Regionals.
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
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