USF's women's tennis team heads to Southern California this weekend for a pair of matches against 15^thranked Pepperdine on Friday and Loyola Marymount on Saturday. First serve in Malibu is set for 1:30 on Friday while Saturday's match will get underway at 1:00 p.m.
 
The Dons will bring an 8-6 overall record and a 3-1 mark in WCC play into Friday's match against the two-time defending WCC champion Waves. USF dropped its last outing last Saturday against UC Santa Barbara, 5-2 in a match played on a neutral court at Pebble Beach. However, the Dons have won three out of its first four conference matches, including a 6-1 victory over San Diego on March 21^st at the Olympic Club.
 
Friday's showdown with the Waves figures to be the Dons toughest test of the season. The Waves, ranked 15^th nationally in the latest ITA poll, are off to a 9-4 start which includes a 3-0 mark in WCC action. Pepperdine features one of the top players in the collegiate ranks in Lorraine Guillermo, ranked 10^th nationally, as well as the top doubles team of Matea Cutura and Christine Maddox, who are ranked 25^th nationally.
 
Pepperdine won last year's match between the two teams, 4-2 at the Olympic Club. Thyra Taune and Brooke Irish picked up USF's two singles victories at the No. 2 and 6 positions. The team of Marina Nikolic and Andrea Ka earned USF's lone doubles victory at the No. 2 position. 
 
"We are just taking one match at a time and playing each point in the present and letting the outcome take care of itself," said head coach Hilary Somers.  "We are focused on getting better every day individually and as a team.  I hope we can compete tough from start to finish this weekend and swing freely."
 
Ka, ranked inside the ITA's Top-100 at No. 88, is expected to draw Guillermo at the No. 1 singles match of the day. The Dons top doubles team of Ka and Nikolic look forward to a major challenge against Cutura and Maddox.
 
USF's road trip will wrap up on Saturday as the Dons take on Loyola Marymount (3-14, 0-3 WCC) in Westchester. The Dons will look to duplicate its 7-0 victory over the Lions last season.