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MALIBU, Calif. – The No. 20 LSU men’s tennis team’s NCAA run came to an end Saturday afternoon in Malibu, Calif., when they were dealt a 4-0 loss to No. 12 Pepperdine (26-5) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The Tigers finish the 2013 season with a 16-12 mark, going 5-7 in SEC play.
“We give a lot of credit to Pepperdine,” head coach Jeff Brown said. “They played really well. We had some chances but they really did a good job of using the energy of the crowd and capitalizing on the momentum. We didn’t have any answers for some of their guys.”
Pepperdine got off to a fast start in doubles, winning courts one and three to take a 1-0 lead. On court one, Pepperdine’s duo of Francis Alcantara and Sebastian Fanselow defeated LSU’s No. 31 pair of Stefan Szacinski and Tam Trinh. The doubles point was clinched by Pepperdine’s David Sofaer and Mousheg Hovhannisyan with an 8-6 victory over LSU’s Chris Simpson and Boris Arias. The match on court two between LSU’s Olivier Borsos and Roger Anderson and Pepperdine’s Finn Tearney and Alex Sarkissian was left unfinished with the Tigers leading 7-4.
Pepperdine carried their momentum after doubles into the singles matches. They pushed their lead to 2-0 on court one after No. 11 Fanselow bested LSU’s No. 42 Simpson 6-0, 6-3. Pepperdine’s lead was extended even further to 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory by Sofaer on court over LSU freshman Harrison Kennedy.
The match was clinched for Pepperdine behind No. 102 Alcantara’s 6-2, 6-1 victory over LSU senior Mark Bowtell on court four, earning a Sweet 16 bid for Pepperdine.
The three remaining matches were left unfinished. On court two, LSU senior No. 91 Szacinski trailed No. 62 Sarkissian 2-6, 5-5. On court three, LSU’s Borsos, also a senior, was trailing No. 107 Tearney 2-6, 1-2. And on court five, LSU freshman Trinh was leading Hovhannisyan 6-3, 3-2.
“This was a season that the team should be proud of,” Brown said. “We really turned it around after the start of the season. Our final ranking improved at the end of each season for these seniors and that is something to be proud of. We have a lot of talent coming back and we look forward to next year.”
For up-to-date information and behind the scenes access on the Tigers, fans can follow the LSU men's team on Twitter @lsutennis, and follow head coach Jeff Brown @LSUCoachJBrown and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.
2013 NCAA Tournament – Second Round
LSU vs. Pepperdine
May 11, 2013 at Malibu, Calif.
(Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)
#12 Pepperdine 4, #20 LSU 0
Singles competition
1. #11 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #42 Chris Simpson (LSU) 6-0, 6-3
2. #62 Alex Sarkissian (PEP) vs. #91 Stefan Szacinski (LSU) 6-2, 5-5, unfinished
3. #107 Finn Tearney (PEP) vs. Olivier Borsos (LSU) 6-2, 2-1, unfinished
4. #102 Francis Alcantara (PEP) def. Mark Bowtell (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) vs. Tam Trinh (LSU) 3-6, 2-3, unfinished
6. David Sofaer (PEP) def. Harrison Kennedy (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Francis Alcantara/Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #31 Stefan Szacinski/Tam Trinh (LSU) 8-3
2. Finn Tearney/Alex Sarkissian (PEP) vs. Olivier Borsos/Roger Anderson (LSU) 4-7, unfinished
3. David Sofaer/Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Boris Arias/Chris Simpson (LSU) 8-6
Match Notes:
LSU 16-12; National ranking #20
Pepperdine 26-5; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,6,4)
