Feb. 12, 2005
Seattle, Wash. - No. 24 Pepperdine made its loudest statement of the year upsetting the No. 14 Washington Huskies by a slim 4-3 margin Saturday night at Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, Wash. In the last remaining match the Waves claimed the win and improved to 5-1, while Washington takes its first loss at 7-1.
Head coach Adam Steinberg said it was a great win for the team. "It was a huge challenge for us coming up here and playing indoors which is something we never do." He credits his team with rising to the challenge, "They competed the best I've seen in long time."
Pepperdine claimed the early lead as the 26th-ranked doubles team of Scott Doerner and Pedro Rico won the doubles match by defeating Christoph Palmanshofer and Alex Vlaski, 8-5. The Waves' momentum and their lead would be short-lived.
Singles saw the home team recover when UW's Daniel Chu swept Richard Johnson, 6-2, 6-3. Vlaski proved why he's the top Husky when he beat No. 13 Pedro Rico in straight sets to give Washington the 2-1 advantage. A split of the numbers three and four matches brought UW closer to victory as they clung to their one point lead.
Needing wins in the final two matches the Waves looked to No. 88 Scott Doerner who was battling No. 9 Alex Slovic. After taking the first set 7-5, Doerner jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second and kept pressure on his top-ten opponent. Bringing his team into a winning position Doerner registered an upset of his own, winning 7-5, 6-3. "Scott is playing so well right now. He has really stepped up this year," said Steinberg. "It's unbelievable how much he has improved this year."
Contrary to the doubles point which was decided on court one, singles and the match would be decided at the bottom of the lineup. After missing Wednesday's match due to a groin injury Alexis Rafidison clinched the big win for Pepperdine in a convincing third set. Steinberg emphasized how big Rafidison's win was, "Alexis played amazing in the third set. He has been there so many times for us, and he knows how to win in those situations." After Peter Scharler won the second set 6-4, Pepperdine's lone senior responded to the pressure surrendering just one game in the deciding third set, claiming a win for himself and his team, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
The Waves will look to extend their winning streak on Friday when they host New Mexico at 1:00 p.m.
