For the fall tennis season, Pepperdine Women’s Tennis now has their youngest team in years with four freshman. Even with their new teammates, the Waves are planning to continue their domination in the West Coast Conference.
The new faces include freshmen Taylor Goetz, Liam Oved, Duru Söke and Alexia Harmon. Harmon is from Las Vegas and was the No. 6 recruit in the nation, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“I think we’ve played two or three individual tournaments,” Harmon said. “It’s been different, but it’s been fun.”
Former Head Coach Per Nilsson brought these recruits in after four seniors graduated following their 2024 season ending with a WCC Championship. Nilsson left Pepperdine Tennis on Oct. 29 to take his next job at Florida effective immediately.
“It was really shocking. I was not expecting that at all,” Goetz said.
Despite this recent turn of events, the team is still planning on bringing home wins this season and are hopeful for the fall season. Adam Schaechterle, the Pepperdine Men’s Tennis head coach, will be their interim head coach until a replacement is found.
“He’s amazing. Like, you couldn’t ask for a better interim,” Goetz said. “He’s been so helpful with everything.”
In addition to their fall tournaments, All-American senior Savannah Broadus and sophomore Vivian Yang will be competing in Waco, Texas for the NCAA Single and Doubles Championships on Nov. 17.
“It was actually very fun being on the court with someone that you fought along side to side,” Yang said.
Yang is only a sophomore but is now one of two experienced returners alongside Broadus. In addition to their doubles competition, Broadus will also be competing in the singles portion of the tournament.
The freshmen have also been dominating competitions in the USC Women of Troy Invite from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6 and in the San Diego Torero Tennis Classic from Nov. 1 through Nov. 3.
The team had a total of nine singles and doubles wins at USC, including two of each from Harmon. Harmon and Yang defeated a doubles team from University of Tennessee for a score of 6-0 Oct. 4 at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium.
“I was really happy with it,” Harmon said. “It was actually my first college tournament.”
At the San Diego Classic, Harmon continued to perform well going 6-0 against her opponents in singles and doubles. Overall, the Waves won 11 matches on the weekend.
Even though Harmon is breezing through competition in tournaments, she said she is still learning her role as a college tennis player.
“I’ve never played this much tennis before,” Harmon said.
Harmon and her fellow freshmen are working together to grow in their new lifestyles and have been helping each other through every practice and fitness workout.
“We’re in a routine now, we’re all getting along,” Goetz said. “We’re working together and we’re trying to make each other better.”
Goetz and Söke won two doubles matches together against the University of Wisconsin and USC by 6-4 and 6-1. Goetz also went 2-1 in singles on the weekend winning against Brigham Young University and University of California, Santa Barbara.
In the San Diego Classic, the freshmen went 8-1 in singles as Harmon defeated players from the University of Utah, University of San Diego and University of Washington in just her second college tournament.
Goetz competed with the same schools and had another impressive 2-1 record beating Washington and Utah. Although she is happy to see her team competing individually, she is even more excited to play as a team when the spring season begins.
“I’m really looking forward to having to [playing] as a team, and competing under that [more] pressure,” Goetz said. “The atmosphere at college matches is something that you cannot imagine.”
Overall, the freshmen are playing well despite coaching changes and the new ambiguity in their college careers.
“I mean, that’s how college coaching goes,” Goetz said. “People always move around, and jobs are always opening.”
Yang is also growing in her new role as a leader alongside Broadus and are setting an example for the freshmen, especially after the coaching changes.
“I think it kind of made me realize that I need to put more responsibility on myself, not only for me but just to be there for them, trying to help them out,” Yang said.
Yang and Broadus have been training to put their names on the bracket for the NCAA championship while also teaching the four freshmen everything they know.
“We really look up to [Broadus] and it’s cool that we get to learn from her and see what she’s doing,” Harmon said.
To round out their fall season, Yang and Broadus will represent Pepperdine in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship which will be held Nov. 19 through Nov. 24 in Waco.
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Email Megan Harkey: megan.harkey@pepperdine.edu
