No. 3 Buckeyes Advance to NCAA Semifinals with 4-0 Win over No. 11 Pepperdine

Friday, May 15

Athens, Ga.

1 p.m.

Ohio State

Pepperdine (Quarterfinals)

Photo by: Ohio State Athletics

No. 3 Buckeyes Advance to NCAA Semifinals with 4-0 Win over No. 11 Pepperdine

5/15/2026 5:37:00 PM | Women's Tennis

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Ohio State will take on Auburn Saturday for a spot in the final

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4-ranked Ohio State women's tennis team posted a 4-0 win against No. 11 Pepperdine to advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., Friday. The No. 3 seed Buckeyes will take on No. 2 Auburn at 4 or 7 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the final. TOURNAMENT CENTRAL (bracket/schedule/video/stats links)

The Buckeyes were making their third appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals and the first since back-to-back years in 2016 and '17. Saturday is the second trip to the semifinals, joining the 2017 squad.

Against the Waves, the Buckeye duos of Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry and Audrey Spencer/Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev notched wins to clinch the doubles point. In singles, Perry and Cisse-Ignatiev won in straight sets to put the Buckeyes up 3-0. With the remaining matches in a third set, Nao Nishino rallied for a win and closed it out on court five.

How it Happened

With wins on courts one and three, Ohio State captured the doubles point and 1-0 lead over the Waves.
The No. 23-ranked duo of Flora Johnson and Luciana Perry lost just one game against No. 16 Ziva Falkner and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva on court one.
After Pepperdine took court two, Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer defeated Duru Soke and Shihomi Leong 6-4, with an early break able to stand.
A straight-set win from No. 4 Perry over No. 46 Zhiyenbayeva, 6-1, 7-6 (2) put the Buckeyes up 2-0.
Cisse-Ignatiev was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over No. 35 Anastasiia Grechkina for a 3-0 Ohio State advantage.
The remaining four matches all went to a third set.
Nao Nishino, ranked No. 76, rallied to defeat No. 121 Soke and send the Buckeyes to the semifinal. On court five, Nishino lost the first set, 6-1, but evened the match with a 6-2 win. In the third, Nishino won 6-4, holding serve to seal the match.
The remaining matches were abandoned, with Pepperdine ahead in the third set on courts one, four and six.
Nishino is a team-best 18-5 this spring, including 3-0 in NCAA play, and 32-9 overall. Perry is 15-4 in dual action and 23-6 on the year, with Cisse-Ignatiev 12-6 and 15-10 overall. Perry and Cisse-Ignatiev both have two NCAA singles wins this year.
In doubles, Johnson and Perry are 17-3 in dual matches, while Spencer and Cisse-Ignatiev are 14-4. The duos are both 4-0 in NCAA matches this spring.

The Results
Pepperdine vs Ohio State
05/15/2026 at Athens, Ga
(Dan Magill Tennis Complex)

#4 Ohio State 4, #11 Pepperdine 0

Singles competition
1. #5 Teah Chavez (OSU) vs. #40 Ziva Falkner (PEPP) 6-3, 5-7, 2-4, unfinished
2. #4 Luciana Perry (OSU) def. #46 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev (OSU) def. #35 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) 6-2, 6-4
4. #123 Audrey Spencer (OSU) vs. Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) 6-3, 2-6, 0-4, unfinished
5. #76 Nao Nishino (OSU) def. #121 Duru Soke (PEPP) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Alessia Cau (OSU) vs. Alexia Harmon (PEPP) 0-6, 7-5, 3-4, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. #23 Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry (OSU) def. #16 Ziva Falkner/Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (PEPP) 6-1
2. Chantal Sauvant/Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. #34 Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez (OSU) 6-2
3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev/Audrey Spencer (OSU) def. Duru Soke/Shihomi Leong (PEPP) 6-4

Match Notes:
Pepperdine 21-5; National ranking #11
Ohio State 27-4; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,3,5)
NCAA Championship quarterfinals
Ohio State No. 3 seed, Pepperdine No. 11 seed
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