Feb. 26, 2004
No. 21 Pepperdine at No. 13 USC
No. 21 Pepperdine vs. No. 3 Baylor
1:30 p.m. and Noon
Game Notes
THE WAVES 411:
The Pepperdine men's tennis team (7-2, 2-0), ranked 21st in the latest ITA poll, prepares for two competitive matches against No. 13 USC (5-1) and No. 3 Baylor (6-1, 1-0) this week. The Waves travel to Los Angeles Friday to face the Trojans at 1:30 p.m. at Marks Tennis Stadium. Two days later, the third-ranked Baylor Bears arrive in Malibu for a noon match. Pepperdine is paced by a pair of doubles teams ranked in the Top 20 in the country; Pedro Rico and Calle Hansen hold the No. 11 spot while the undefeated tandem comprised of Scott Doerner and Alexandre Herrera rank No. 16, respectively. In singles action, No. 38 Rico and No. 82 Hansen alternate at the top two spots for the Waves. Rico owns the best single's record on the team with a 7-2 mark.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS-- (USC Trojans):
The Trojans enter Friday's contest with a 5-1 overall mark. Their only loss came against then-No. 6 UCLA in a 4-3 decision. The team jumped six spots, from No. 19 to No. 13, in the most recent ITA rankings released on Feb. 24. Leading the way for USC in singles is freshman Jamil Al-Agba, ranked No. 16, senior Ruben Torres (No. 68), junior transfer Drew Hoskins (No. 69) and junior Johan Berg (No. 84).
THE SERIES:
Friday's match will mark the 51st all-time meeting between the Trojans and Waves. USC is 37-13 against Pepperdine after splitting two matches last season. Pepperdine won 5-2 in Malibu, USC won 4-3 in Los Angeles.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS-- (Baylor Bears):
Baylor enters Saturday's event with a 6-1 overall and 1-0 conference record. The 2nd-ranked Baylor men's tennis team suffered its first loss of the season when then-6th-ranked Mississippi dealt the Bears a 4-3 loss in the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle. The top-ranked singles player in the country, Benedikt Dorsch, leads the Bears. Benjamin Becker also is ranked (No. 8) and the duo with Dorsch and Ivor Lovrak holds the No. 32 national spot.
ORANGE SLICES:
· Depending on head coach Adam Steinberg's lineup, Pepperdine senior Calle Hansen may have another opportunity to upset the top-ranked Dorsch when Baylor comes to town Sunday. On Oct. 9, the two battled at the ITA Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn., in the Round of 32 where Dorsch walked away with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over then-No. 24 Hansen. So, we'll have to wait and see what kind of strategy Steinberg has up his sleeves for Sunday's singles action...
· Although Alexandre Herrera arrived at Pepperdine only two months ago, it seems as though he, along with partner Scott Doerner, were destined to play together. Okay, a bit extreme, but you get the picture. Anyhow, the duo has yet to lose a doubles match the entire season after going 8-0 at the No. 2 spot and 1-0 at No. 1. Quick, knock on wood...
· Just a reminder that the Waves decided to shake things up a bit and host Harvard at North Ranch Country Club on April 3rd at 1:00 p.m.
· For immediate results after the contest, remember to check out the Pepperdine's results page on the ITA website at www.itatennis.com and then come back here for complete game recaps, stories and results.
· For cummulative statistics on the Waves, go to the Pepperdine men's tennis homepage and click on the "Season Statistics" link to download the pdf. version. It might sound scary, but it's all a breeze...
A LOOK BACK: Well, thanks to the much-needed rain in southern California this past weekend, the Waves had to rescheduled matches versus Cal Poly and Santa Clara that were postponed. In its last outing, Pepperdine upset San Diego, 5-2, at home.
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: The Waves head to Tempe, Ariz., March 7-8, for the Arizona State Invitational. Times have not yet been determined.
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.
