The Pepperdine Waves women’s tennis squad will take the court in central Florida on Friday.
The sixth-ranked tennis team in the nation will face No. 3 Stanford in the NCAA Championship’s Elite Eight round at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
The 24-3 Waves advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 23 Central Florida, 4-2, on May 10 at Pepperdine.
In doubles play, junior Jessica Failla and freshman Anastasia Iamachkine grabbed Pepperdine’s lone victory. In singles play, the Waves had more success. Junior Ashley Lahey, junior Adrijana Lekaj, senior Dzina Milovanovic, Failla and Iamachkine each tallied victories, pushing the team to the next round of the NCAA tournament.
If Pepperdine defeats Stanford, the squad will face the winner of the UCLA/North Carolina matchup on May 18 in the semifinals. The victor of that contest will take the court in the national title game the next day.
Golf
The Pepperdine women’s golf team’s season ended on May 8 at the NCAA Norman Regional. The team finished 15th at the event and had a three-day total of 904 (299-309-296) at the par-72 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
Waves senior Hira Naveed tied for 19th place with a 1-over 217 (71-76-70)—her 16th below-par round of the season and a school record. Junior Momoka Kobori tied for 59th at 227, senior Patricia Wong tied for 76th at 232, senior Hannah Haythorne tied for 82nd at 235 and senior Kathrine Chan was 85th at 236.
The Pepperdine men’s golf team, ranked 16th, participated in the NCAA Austin Regional in Texas Monday through Wednesday.
The Waves won the West Coast Conference Championships this season, and sophomore RJ Manke won the WCC individual crown. Coach Michael Beard was named the conference’s Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season, and first-year Wave Joe Highsmith was named WCC Freshman of the Year. Manke, Highsmith and junior Clay Feagler were named to the All-WCC first team.
The top five finishers at the three-day regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Arkansas.