FAIRFIELD, Calif. – No. 51 San Diego women’s tennis dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 11 Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference Tournament Final on Saturday at Green Valley Country Club, finishing as WCC runners-up after a strong tournament run.
The Waves claimed the doubles point on courts one and two to take the doubles point. The nationally ranked No. 18 pairing of Ziva Falkner and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva took down Anni Moll and Hannah Read 6-4 on main court, and Chantal Sauvant and Anastasiia Grechkina followed with a matching 6-4 win over Vilma Krebs Hyllested and Maria Shmakova on court two.
Pepperdine doubled its lead quickly in singles, as No. 41 Ziva Falkner won in straight sets on main court. Pepperdine’s Chantal Sauvant won in straigth sets on court four to push the Waves’ lead to 3-0.
The Toreros’ lone point came from freshman Vilma Krebs Hyllested, who delivered the signature performance of the day on court two. Taking on No. 29 Anastasiia Grechkina, Krebs Hyllested claimed a hard-fought first set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7-5), before closing out the match 6-3 in the second — her second career win over a ranked opponent in the last few weeks.
On court three, No. 50 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva edged Hannah Read in three sets, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), to clinch the title for Pepperdine. The remaining courts went unfinished with the dual match outcome decided. On court five, freshman Maria Shmakova showed well against No. 119 Duru Soke, taking the opening set in a tiebreak before the match was left unfinished at 4-4 in the second. On court six, Anni Moll held a 6-1, 1-6, 3-5 mark when play was called.
San Diego sits at 13-10 overall, ranked 51st nationally, as WCC runners-up in both regular season and tournament play as they await to hear their fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday afternoon.
Up Next
The Toreros await their NCAA Tournament seeding.
Results
[1] Pepperdine 4, [2] San Diego 1
April 25, 2026 | Fairfield, Calif. – Green Valley Country Club
#51 San Diego (13-10) | #11 Pepperdine (18-4)
Doubles
1. #18 Ziva Falkner/Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Anni Moll/Hannah Read (USD) 6-4
2. Chantal Sauvant/Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. Vilma KrebsHyllested/Maria Shmakova (USD) 6-4
3. Shihomi Leong/Duru Soke (PEPP) vs. Kristina Nordikyan/Charlotte Keitel (USD) 5-4, unfinished
Singles
1. #41 Ziva Falkner (PEPP) def. Charlotte Keitel (USD) 6-1, 6-0
2. Vilma KrebsHyllested (USD) def. #29 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
3. #50 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) def. Hannah Read (USD) 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Ines Leon (USD) 6-2, 6-2
5. #119 Duru Soke (PEPP) vs. Maria Shmakova (USD) 6-7 (3-7), 4-4, unfinished
6. Alexia Harmon (PEPP) vs. Anni Moll (USD) 1-6, 6-1, 5-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles — 1, 2; Singles — 1, 4, 2, 3
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