Pepperdine Women’s Tennis Hosts Arizona State in Sunday Showdown
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 15 Pepperdine women’s tennis (3-1) returns to the court after a two-week break to host Arizona State (4-2) on Sunday at 11 a.m. From Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. Fans unable to attend can follow the live stream and scoring here.
The Waves are coming off a significant 4-1 victory over No. 2 Texas A&M on January 30th, a win that marked the highest-ranked victory for Pepperdine since defeating No. 1 North Carolina in the 2021 NCAA Semifinals.
Doubles Dominance Sets the Tone
Pepperdine secured the doubles point against Texas A&M through the pairings of Živa Falkner and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva at the No. 1 position, and Chantal Sauvant and Anastasiia Grechkina on court two. The latter pairing clinched the point in a tiebreak. Sauvant and Grechkina have posted a 4-0 record in doubles play this season.
Freshman Zhiyenbayeva Shines
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva has quickly made an impact in her first collegiate season, earning three West Coast Conference (WCC) Freshman of the Week honors. She boasts a 4-0 record at No. 3 singles. Zhiyenbayeva, alongside Falkner, also received WCC Doubles Team of the Week recognition for their win against Texas A&M.
Waves’ Singles Success
Following the doubles point, Zhiyenbayeva, Duru Söke, and Sauvant secured singles victories to complete the upset win over the Aggies. Falkner has won back-to-back singles matches at the No. 1 position, though her match against Texas A&M was abandoned. Anastasiia Grechkina is ranked No. 11 in the most recent ITA singles rankings, holding a 2-2 record. Chantal Sauvant has a 2-1 singles record this season, clinching the match against Texas A&M in three sets. Alexia Harmon has registered a 2-1 mark in singles on court five, and Shihomi Leong boasts a 1-1 singles record in her first collegiate action.
Series History Favors Pepperdine
Pepperdine holds a 14-9 record in the all-time series against Arizona State, including a 6-2 mark in Malibu. The Waves have won five of the past six meetings, dating back to the 2014 season. However, the Sun Devils earned a 4-2 victory in Tempe last February. The most recent meeting was a 4-1 win for Pepperdine in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting the Sun Devils
Arizona State enters Sunday’s match with a 4-2 record, having recently defeated WCC-foe San Diego 6-1. The Sun Devils also faced Texas A&M earlier this season, falling 0-4 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Arizona State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Emilija Tverijonaite is currently ranked No. 16 in the country in the ITA singles rankings.
Looking Ahead
Following the match against Arizona State, the Waves will remain at home to host No. 19 UCLA on Friday, February 20th, at 2 p.m. In Malibu.
Pepperdine women’s tennis has a strong tradition of success, having reached 40 NCAA Tournaments since 1982, including 28 consecutive appearances. The program has seen three national runner-ups since 2018 and has reached an NCAA Regional eight times in the past nine tournaments. They have also secured 33 WCC Championships, including an active streak of 11 consecutive conference titles. The program has produced 24 All-Americans and consistently sends players to the professional circuit after their time in Malibu.
