Match Notes
 

LOOKING AHEAD - The Waves make a quick turnaround after the road trip to Washington, and host Florida State, Denver and Drake on Jan. 26-27 in ITA Kick-Off Weekend action. Pepperdine is one of 16 schools to host an ITA Kick-Off Weekend event, which serves as the first and second rounds of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The 16 teams to emerge as the winner from each site converge in Seattle, Wash. on Feb. 15-18 for the single-elimination team tournament.

 

COME ONE COME ALL - Admission to all regular-season men’s and women’s tennis matches at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is FREE.

 

COVERAGE - Live score updates for the Waves’ home matches can be followed at: http://www.pepperdinesports.com/livestats/m-tennis/xlive.htm 

 

TWITTER - Fans can follow the Waves on Twitter @PeppTennis or @PepperdineWaves and “like” us on Facebook by searching for Pepperdine Athletics. 

 

RANKINGS - The Waves open the season at #7 in the team rankings, while Sebastian Fanselow is currently ranked #7 in singles. For complete ITA team, singles and doubles rankings, visit: http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Rankings.htm

 

ROSTER - Pepperdine returns five players from last year’s squad, including two-time singles All-American Sebastian Fanselow. Finn Tearney, who played #2 singles and #1 doubles last season as a junior, is also back as well as senior Mousheg Hovhannisyan. Hovhannisyan played #4 singles in 2012. David Sofaer is back for his junior campaign. As a sophomore, he and partner Hugh Clarke tallied 24 dual-season doubles wins -- the second most in a singles season in the Pepperdine record book. Kento Tanaka-Tamaki enters his sophomore season with the Waves, and is joined by junior transfers Francis Alcantara (Fresno State) and Alex Sarkissian (Glendale Community College).

 

PACIFIC - Pacific opens the 2013 dual season at Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Jan. 19 ... The Waves are 6-0 all-time against the Tigers, but have not faced one another since 2006 ... Pacific went 8-15 in 2012.

 

WASHINGTON - The Huskies are ranked #25 in the team rankings ... Washington is 1-0 after a 7-0 sweep vs. Gonzaga and plays Tulsa and Texas this weekend before tangling with the Waves on Wednesday ... Pepperdine is officially 3-3 all-time against UW including two shut-out victories in 2012.

 

NATIONAL INDOOR RECAP - Sebastian Fanselow, who did not compete for the majority of the fall season, made his return to the court at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in Flushing, N.Y. in November. After defeating two top-10 ranked opponents in straight sets, Fanselow was pitted against #8-ranked and top seeded Alex Domijan in the semifinals. After splitting the first two sets, the duo fought all the way to a 6-6 tie in the third. Fanselow held serve and proceed to break Domijan’s serve at love to secure the match 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Fanselow later fell to Domijan’s teammate, Jamere Jenkins, in the finals but not before he was named the USTA/ITA Sportsmanship Award recipient.

 

WCC PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Sebastian Fanselow was the West Coast Conference singles player of the month for November, after his run at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship.

 

CLAY COURT SUCCESS - While Fanselow was in New York, Finn Tearney was down in Florida competing at the Lakewood Ranch Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic. The senior went a perfect 4-0 in singles to win the title. Tearney also reached the doubles semifinal, along with partner Kento Tanaka-Tamaki.

 

Adam Steinberg — Now in his 11th season as head coach of the Waves, Adam Steinberg enters the 2013 season with a career record of 276-149 including a 146-70 mark at Pepperdine. Since setting foot on the Malibu campus in 2003, Steinberg has captured six WCC conference championships, six appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and an NCAA Championship crown in 2006. He has tutored 16 Waves to All-American status, and has been named WCC Coach of the Year six times. Prior to coming to Pepperdine, Steinberg served as the head coach at Alabama and St. John’s for five seasons apiece. 

 

2012 MEN’S DUAL RECAP — The Waves finished the 2012 season with a 27-7 record and concluded the season ranked #6 in the Campbell’s/ITA Collegiate Rankings. The men’s squad won a program-record 24 dual matches in a row and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Georgia 4-3 in the quarterfinals. The previous win-streak record was held by the 1985 team that strung together 20 wins, finishing the season 30-7 and ranked #6 in the country. 

 

2012 AWARDS RECAP - Sebastian Fanselow was named the Pepperdine Athletics Male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Daniel Moss was voted Wave of the Year. Fanselow was also named WCC Player of the Year. Fanselow and Finn Tearney made the All-WCC singles first team roster, while Alex Llompart was a second team honoree. In doubles, the duos of Tearney/Llompart and Jenson Turner/Fanselow were voted to the All-WCC first team, and David Sofaer/Hugh Clarke picked up on an honorable mention. Sofaer earned WCC All-Academic team recognition. Adam Steinberg was recognized as the WCC Co-Coach of the Year. On Monday, the ITA released its regional awards winners. Steinberg was named Southwest Coach of the Year. Fanselow was dubbed the Player to Watch in the Southwest region and later recognized as the national award winner. He also picked up All-American accolades in singles for the second-straight year.

 

ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men’s sports - one of just 16 schools to have accomplished this feat - and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest enrollment and is the only school not in a major conference. Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation’s most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #54 overall on U.S. News and World Report’s list of America’s best colleges.