2:15pm | No. 36 Long Beach State and No. 27 Pepperdine matched up for another very close match in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, but Pepperdine held off the 49ers to take a 4-2 win in a match that saw four singles matches go to three sets.
 
The 49ers struggled in doubles, facing two ranked pairs from the Waves. No. 65 Bhargava/Zalameda led Armstrong/Dallara at No. 1 doubles, but an injury forced Maria Zalameda to retire, giving Long Beach State the first match. Pepperdine still won the point, however, as Colffer/Waters defeated Cantlay/Luzar 8-3.
 
In singles, Anais Dallara took care of business at No. 1 singles, dominating Arianna Colffer in a 6-1, 6-1 win, but the Waves regained the lead with a second point as Kunpak Issara defeated Jaklin Alawi 6-4, 6-1.
 
All four of the other matches went to three sets with the teams matching up extremely well. Deborah Armstrong beat #122 Anamika Bhargava in the first set of her match at No. 2 singles 6-2 but fell in the second set and lost 6-4 in the third as Pepperdine took a 3-1 lead in the match.
 
The 49ers pulled back a point at No. 5 as Sarah Cantlay reversed that result. After falling 6-3 in the first set to Megan Moore, the sophomore rallied to win set two 6-1 and won the match 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
 
At No. 6 singles, Anna Jeczmionka, reinserted into the lineup for the injured Klaudia Malenovska, defeated the Waves’ former No. 1 player Ali Walters 6-4 in the first set, but lost the next two as Pepperdine won that match and clinched the dual with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
 
Rachel Manasse led the sixth singles match by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-5 over Ale Granillo at No. 3 singles when the duel was concluded. She had previously had a match point at 5-4 in the final set that would have been Long Beach State’s third point, and was serving for the match.