Feb. 22, 2005

Malibu, Calif. - After starting the season out of the top 25, the Pepperdine men's tennis team has earned a No. 16 ranking in the current Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll with its 5-1 record. The poll, released Tuesday moves the Waves up one spot despite them having both of their weekend matches rained out.

Pepperdine can climb even higher in the poll with a strong showing this weekend. The Waves will travel to Texas to play Baylor and SMU.

Baylor is the defending national champion and the country's top-ranked team. The Bears have held the top spot since last June after they claimed the crown. Their 8-0 record is led by ninth-ranked Benedikt Dorsch and No. 44 Benjamin Becker. Dorsch is 4-0 in singles matches this year, with every win coming at the #1 position. The match is slated for 6:00 p.m. Friday.

Saturday at 1:00 p.m. the Waves will be in Dallas to face 5-2 SMU. The Mustangs occupy the 38th spot in the current ITA poll. Senior Gwinyai Chingoka has been playing in SMU's top singles position, compiling a 3-3 overall singles record.

The Waves will combat the strong lineups with power players of their own. Amassing a 6-0 singles record, junior Scott Doerner has found himself at No. 43 in the country, up dramatically from the 88th ranking he was given in the preseason. Pedro Rico dropped in the current poll, but keeps his name in the top-25 with his two losses coming to other ranked players.

Before heading to Texas, Pepperdine will stop at Loyola Marymount on Wednesday for a 12:00 p.m. match. Weather permitting, Pepperdine will play its first complete match in eleven days.

LMU comes into the match with a 0-2 overall record, while Pepperdine will look to move to 3-0 in the West Coast Conference.