Pepperdine Team Page
MALIBU, Calif. - The Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center will be a hub of activity this week, as the #12 Pepperdine men’s tennis team hosts Loyola Marymount, #56 Princeton and #7 Oklahoma. The Waves open action on Wednesday, March 20 with a doubleheader scheduled against the Lions and Tigers. Saturday’s showdown between the top-15 ranked Waves and Sooners begins at 1 p.m.
MATCH 16 - Wednesday (March 20) at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #12 Pepperdine (11-4, 0-0 WCC) vs. Loyola Marymount (2-10, 0-0 WCC) at 11 a.m. (PCH CUP MATCH)
MATCH 17 - Wednesday (March 20) at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #12 Pepperdine vs. #56 Princeton (10-3, 0-0 IVY) at 4 p.m.
MATCH 18 - Saturday (March 23) at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #12 Pepperdine vs. #7 Oklahoma (10-4, 0-0 Big 12) at 1 p.m.
COVERAGE - Live score updates for the Waves’ home matches can be followed at here.
COME ONE COME ALL - Admission to all regular-season men’s and women’s tennis matches at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is FREE.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT - The Waves open the WCC portion of the season on Wednesday vs. the Lions ... A point in the PCH Cup standings will also be up for grabs ... LMU is 2-10 in 2013 and has won the last two in a row ... The Lions’ wins were against UC Riverside and Gonzaga ... Pepperdine is 15-0 all-time vs. Loyola Marymount.
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP - Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime crosstown adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together at the start of the 2009-10 academic year in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup. The series serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference. One point is awarded for both home and neutral-site wins, including conference championships; however, 1.5 points is earned for road victories. LMU currently leads this year’s challenge series, 10.0-7.5.
PRINCETON - The Tigers are 10-3 this season and are defending a six-match win streak ... Princeton began its Californian tour with a 4-3 upset victory over #45 Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo ... The Tigers boast the #4-ranked singles player in the NCAA in Matija Pecotic ... Pecotic and Zack McCourt are ranked #32 in doubles.
OKLAHOMA - The Sooners are 10-4 and currently ranked #7 in the NCAA ... Oklahoma makes a stop at Arizona on Wednesday before heading to Malibu ... Ranked players include Costin Paval (#17), Guillermo Alcorta (#44) and Dane Webb (#92) ... In doubles Pavel and Webb are listed at #44, while Alcorta and Axel Alvarez Llamas rank #56.
LOOKING AHEAD - West Coast Conference action continues next week with matches at San Francisco (March 29) and Santa Clara (March 30) ... The Waves return home on April 12 to host Saint Mary’s.
LOOKING BACK - The Waves split last week, falling to #9 Ohio State at home before posting a come-from-behind 4-3 win vs. #16 Cal on the road.
RANKINGS - The Waves are currently ranked #12 in the team rankings, and have reached as high as #5 ... Sebastian Fanselow is currently ranked #11 in singles after reaching as high as #4 ... Alex Sarkissian entered the rankings on Feb. 12, has reach as high as #73 and right now ranks #107 ... Finn Tearney made his first rankings appearance of 2013 at #105 and is up to #83 .... Francis Alcantara broke into the rankings on Feb. 26 at #87 and recently jumped up to #53... Tearney and Alcantara also broke into the doubles rankings on Feb. 26 at #27 and currently rank #47 ... For complete ITA team, singles and doubles rankings, visit: http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Rankings.htm
THE LINEUP - Finn Tearney and Francis Alcantara have been holding down the No. 1 doubles spot, followed by Sebastian Fanselow and Alex Sarkissian and No. 2 ... Mousheg Hovhannisyan has teamed up mostly with David Sofaer at No. 3 ... In singles Fanselow has held down the top spot, while Sarkissian, Tearney and Alcantara rotate between the 2-4 spots ... Hovhannisyan and Sofaer typically play at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively ... Kento Tanaka-Tamaki has also made his way into the doubles and singles rotation.
TWITTER - Fans can follow the Waves on Twitter @PeppTennis or @PepperdineWaves and “like” us on Facebook by searching for Pepperdine Athletics.
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, and again in February ... Mousheg Hovhannisyan and David Sofaer were awarded January Doubles Team of the Month honors after opening the season with back-to-back victories ... Finn Tearney and Francis Alcantara were announced as February’s WCC Doubles Team of the Month after being honored as All-Tournament performers at the ITA National Indoor Team Championship.
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.
Adam Steinberg - Now in his 11th season as head coach of the Waves, Adam Steinberg boasts career record of 285-151 including a 155-72 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.
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.
