Feb. 11, 2004
THE WAVES 411: The Pepperdine men's tennis team (4-2, 1-0), ranked 32nd in the latest ITA poll, prepares for two competitive matches against San Diego State and California this week. The Waves host the Aztecs at home Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. and they travel to Cal Saturday. First serve is scheduled for noon. Pepperdine is paced by the West Coast Conference (WCC) Co-Player of the Month, Calle Hansen, and the seventh-ranked "WCC Duo of the Month" comprised of Hansen and Pedro Rico. Hansen, playing at the No. 1 singles spot, is ranked No. 29 nationally and Rico, who competes at the No. 2 singles position, is ranked No. 31, respectively.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: (San Diego State) The No. 43 Aztecs enter today's match with a 1-1 overall record. Their lone loss was a 7-0 sweep at the arms of No. 41 College of William and Mary. In its last outing, San Diego State upended San Francisco 7-0 by winning all three doubles matches by a score of 8-3 to earn the point. The Aztecs followed with a dominating performance in singles competition by winning all six matches, including three straight set wins by Felix Hardt at No. 1, Daniel Jung at No. 3, and Mike Coelho at No. 6.
(California) The No. 11 California men's tennis team continues their 2004 campaign with two home matches against Rice and Pepperdine this week. The Bear's enter this week's action looking to bounce back, after dropping two of three at the ITA Indoor Team Championships, in Seattle, Wash. Cal did, however, defeat No. 13 Texas without their star, No.10 Conor Niland, who has not competed in the new year due to a right arm injury.
POLL VAULTING: Pepperdine moved down seven spots in the latest ITA poll released yesterday after a 4-3 upset to then-No. 58 Northwestern on Jan. 30. The Waves, ranked No. 25 for the last two weeks, currently sits at No. 32 nationally. An impressive victory over both squads this week could significantly impact the team in the upcoming rankings released in two weeks.
A LOOK BACK: The Pepperdine Waves improved to 4-2 overall and picked up their first West Coast Conference (WCC) win of the season as they swept the University of Denver and Saint Mary's 7-0 Saturday, Feb. 7, at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The Waves played both teams in back-to-back matches. In the contests combined, the Waves completed the day 17-1. Pepperdine swept the doubles point against Denver and picked up two of the three doubles matches versus St. Mary's. The Waves won every singles match.
THE 7TH MAN CLUB: Students or fans interested in getting up close with the Pepperdine men's tennis program are encouraged to join the 7th Man Club. You may sign up for the free club by calling the tennis office at x7544 or by emailing either the head coach Adam Steinberg or his assistant coach Per Nilsson.
ON DECK: Pepperdine continues its busy season next Tuesday, Feb. 17, with a home contest versus San Diego at 1 p.m. The Waves will take three days off before hosting two dual matches against Cal Poly and Santa Clara on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 9:30 and 2:00 p.m., respectively.
WCC MEN'S CO-PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Calle Hansen Pepperdine senior Hansen picked up where he left off last season, leading the Waves to two-straight dual match victories to start the 2004 campaign. Hansen, currently ranked No. 29 in the nation, paced the Waves to a 2-2 mark during the month of January, which included tough road losses at No. 1 Illinois and No. 58 Northwestern. Playing at the No. 1 singles spot, Hansen won all three matches that he played against UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and Northwestern. The Vasteras, Sweden native recorded straight-set wins over UCSB's Anselme, UC Irvines's Endrikat, and Northwestern's Perrin before dropping his first singles match to Phil Stolt of Illinois in three sets on January 31. The Waves earned a No. 25 ranking from the ITA on January 27.
MEN'S DOUBLES DUO OF THE MONTH - Calle Hansen and Pedro Rico, PEP Pepperdine's Calle Hansen and Pedro Rico stormed into the new season, capturing three-straight wins for the Waves while playing in the No.1 doubles spot. The No. 7 ranked tandem in the nation, Hansen and Rico recorded wins over UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and Northwestern before falling to the No. 1 doubles team of Phil Stolt and Brian Wilson of Illinois.
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH Adam Steinberg: Recognized as one of the most energetic and outgoing teachers in the college game, Adam Steinberg is in his second season as head coach of the Waves men's tennis team. Steinberg was hired in June 2002 to replace Peter Smith who resigned to accept a similar position at USC. In his first year at the helm of the Waves' program, Steinberg completed the season with a 17-11 dual match mark while guiding his team to the second round of the NCAA Championships. Including a 10-year stint as the head coach at Alabama and St. John's, Steinberg's cumulative head coaching record stands at 147-90 (.620) in 11 seasons. Known for his personality and ability to positively influence his athletes' lives on a daily basis, Steinberg played college tennis at Penn State and served as the team captain for the Nittany Lions as a senior in 1987-88 season.
THE PROGRAM: Pepperdine has advanced to the NCAA Championships on 23 occasions since 1978, including each of the last six seasons. The Waves completed the 2003 campaign with an overall record of 17-11, advanced to the second round at the NCAA Championships and completed the campaign ranked No. 26 nationally.
