Friday, May 2
Knoxville, TN
1 p.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
Pepperdine
Wake Forest Set to Open NCAA Tournament Action Against Pepperdine
5/1/2025 12:54:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will face off against the Waves at 1 p.m. on Friday, with the winner set to play either No. 10-seeded Tennessee or Elon on Saturday at 4 p.m.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After being selected to a ninth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Monday (April 28), the No. 37 Wake Forest women's tennis team is set to begin play in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon, taking on No. 26 Pepperdine in the first round of the Knoxville Regional at the Robert L. Barksdale Tennis Stadium.
The match between the Demon Deacons and the Waves is slated for 1 p.m. on Friday, with the winner set to face off against the winner of No. 10 Tennessee and Elon on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Friday's contest will mark the first time that Wake Forest and Pepperdine will meet since the 1999-00 season, where the Deacs came away with a 7-0 victory.
All matches throughout the weekend will be streamed live via Playsight, while live scores will be updated throughout the afternoon here.
Ticket Information
General admission tickets for each day of the Knoxville Regional costs $6 per person. Students from visiting schools get in free with a valid student ID. Children ages 2 and under will also receive free admission.
Tickets may be purchased here.
Knoxville Regional Schedule
Series History
Versus Pepperdine
Last Time Out
The Demon Deacons recently competed in the 2025 ACC Women's Tennis Championship, coming away with a 4-2 victory over SMU in the second round before falling to Notre Dame in the third round of the tournament.
Against the Mustangs, the Deacs captured the doubles point following victories from graduate student Anna Zhang and junior Whitley Pate at third doubles (6-4), and from graduate student Makayla Mills and redshirt sophomore Krystal Blanch at first doubles (7-5).
Following a straight-sets victory from freshman Kady Tannenbaum that tied the match over on court five (7-6 (7-0), 6-3), Zhang and junior Nevena Carton clinched the match with back-to-back, three-set wins. Carton clinched her match at first singles by taking the final two sets in dominant fashion (3-6, 6-1, 6-1), while Zhang gave the Demon Deacons the win with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory at third singles.
In their match against the Fighting Irish, Pate and Blanch both secured singles victories, with Pate taking her match at fourth singles in straight-sets (6-0, 6-2), and Blanch bouncing back to take second singles, (4-6, 6-1, 6-4).
Deacs in the ITA Rankings
Wake Forest heads into the 2025 NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament ranked as the No. 37 team in the country according to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll. The Demon Deacons are one of 10 ACC schools to head into the tournament ranked inside the top-40.
ACC Team Rankings
Meanwhile, Carton is currently the only Demon Deacon ranked in the ITA singles poll at No. 82. In doubles, Mills and Blanch are the lone Wake Forest duo in the ITA doubles rankings, currently sitting at No. 64 in the country.
Singles Rankings
Doubles Rankings
Nine Years of Consistency
The Demon Deacons have now reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth-consecutive season, matching their all-time tournament appearance streak record when the Deacs made nine straight tournaments from 1994 to 2002.
Wake Forest is also only one of 19 schools to appear in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments, and are just one of six current ACC institutions to accomplish this feat.
Schools to make each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments
Scouting the Opposition
Pepperdine heads into the NCAA Tournament ranked as the No. 27 team in the country and fresh off of clinching its 11th-consecutive West Coast Conference title with a 4-2 victory over UC San Diego.
The Waves are led by senior Savannah Broadus, who currently sits at No. 17 in the ITA singles rankings after spending the majority of the spring season ranked inside the top-20. Broadus is also ranked in the ITA doubles rankings alongside sophomore Vivian Yang. Broadus and Yang head into the tournament ranked at No. 14 in the country, having amassed a 6-3 record as a duo during dual match play.
Meanwhile, freshman Anastasiia Grechkina currently sits at No. 79 in the rankings, as she holds a 13-7 record thus far in her rookie campaign.
Up Next
The winner of the match between the Demon Deacons and the Waves will face off against either No. 10 Tennessee or Elon in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. First serve of that second round matchup is currently slated for 4 p.m on Saturday (May 3).
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
The match between the Demon Deacons and the Waves is slated for 1 p.m. on Friday, with the winner set to face off against the winner of No. 10 Tennessee and Elon on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Friday's contest will mark the first time that Wake Forest and Pepperdine will meet since the 1999-00 season, where the Deacs came away with a 7-0 victory.
All matches throughout the weekend will be streamed live via Playsight, while live scores will be updated throughout the afternoon here.
Ticket Information
General admission tickets for each day of the Knoxville Regional costs $6 per person. Students from visiting schools get in free with a valid student ID. Children ages 2 and under will also receive free admission.
Tickets may be purchased here.
Knoxville Regional Schedule
- Friday, May 2
- Game One - Wake Forest vs. Pepperdine, 1 p.m.
- Game Two - Elon vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 4 p.m.
- Saturday, May 3
- Game One Winner vs. Game Two Winner, 4 p.m.
Series History
Versus Pepperdine
- Series: Wake Forest leads, 2-0
- Last: Feb. 18, 2000
- Result: W, 7-0
Last Time Out
The Demon Deacons recently competed in the 2025 ACC Women's Tennis Championship, coming away with a 4-2 victory over SMU in the second round before falling to Notre Dame in the third round of the tournament.
Against the Mustangs, the Deacs captured the doubles point following victories from graduate student Anna Zhang and junior Whitley Pate at third doubles (6-4), and from graduate student Makayla Mills and redshirt sophomore Krystal Blanch at first doubles (7-5).
Following a straight-sets victory from freshman Kady Tannenbaum that tied the match over on court five (7-6 (7-0), 6-3), Zhang and junior Nevena Carton clinched the match with back-to-back, three-set wins. Carton clinched her match at first singles by taking the final two sets in dominant fashion (3-6, 6-1, 6-1), while Zhang gave the Demon Deacons the win with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory at third singles.
In their match against the Fighting Irish, Pate and Blanch both secured singles victories, with Pate taking her match at fourth singles in straight-sets (6-0, 6-2), and Blanch bouncing back to take second singles, (4-6, 6-1, 6-4).
Deacs in the ITA Rankings
Wake Forest heads into the 2025 NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament ranked as the No. 37 team in the country according to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll. The Demon Deacons are one of 10 ACC schools to head into the tournament ranked inside the top-40.
ACC Team Rankings
| Team | Record | Ranking |
| North Carolina | 23-4 | 5 |
| Virginia | 20-5 | 7 |
| Duke | 21-3 | 8 |
| NC State | 17-6 | 11 |
| California | 13-8 | 19 |
| Notre Dame | 20-5 | 23 |
| Stanford | 15-8 | 25 |
| Georgia Tech | 13-11 | 29 |
| Clemson | 14-11 | 34 |
| Wake Forest | 15-13 | 37 |
Meanwhile, Carton is currently the only Demon Deacon ranked in the ITA singles poll at No. 82. In doubles, Mills and Blanch are the lone Wake Forest duo in the ITA doubles rankings, currently sitting at No. 64 in the country.
Singles Rankings
| Name | Ranking |
| Nevena Carton | 82 |
Doubles Rankings
| Name | Ranking |
| Blanch/Mills | 64 |
Nine Years of Consistency
The Demon Deacons have now reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth-consecutive season, matching their all-time tournament appearance streak record when the Deacs made nine straight tournaments from 1994 to 2002.
Wake Forest is also only one of 19 schools to appear in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments, and are just one of six current ACC institutions to accomplish this feat.
Schools to make each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments
| School | Conference | Current NCAA Tournament Streak |
| Stanford | ACC | 43 |
| Georgia | SEC | 38 |
| Arizona State | Big 12 | 37 |
| Pepperdine | WCC | 37 |
| Duke | ACC | 35 |
| USC | Big Ten | 33 |
| South Carolina | SEC | 30 |
| Vanderbilt | SEC | 30 |
| North Carolina | ACC | 26 |
| Georgia Tech | ACC | 25 |
| Texas A&M | SEC | 25 |
| Michigan | Big Ten | 23 |
| Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 13 |
| Texas Tech | Big 12 | 13 |
| Denver | Summit League | 11 |
| Ohio State | Big Ten | 11 |
| NC State | ACC | 10 |
| Texas | SEC | 9 |
| Wake Forest | ACC | 9 |
Scouting the Opposition
Pepperdine heads into the NCAA Tournament ranked as the No. 27 team in the country and fresh off of clinching its 11th-consecutive West Coast Conference title with a 4-2 victory over UC San Diego.
The Waves are led by senior Savannah Broadus, who currently sits at No. 17 in the ITA singles rankings after spending the majority of the spring season ranked inside the top-20. Broadus is also ranked in the ITA doubles rankings alongside sophomore Vivian Yang. Broadus and Yang head into the tournament ranked at No. 14 in the country, having amassed a 6-3 record as a duo during dual match play.
Meanwhile, freshman Anastasiia Grechkina currently sits at No. 79 in the rankings, as she holds a 13-7 record thus far in her rookie campaign.
Up Next
The winner of the match between the Demon Deacons and the Waves will face off against either No. 10 Tennessee or Elon in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. First serve of that second round matchup is currently slated for 4 p.m on Saturday (May 3).
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Players Mentioned
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