Feb. 22, 2006

Malibu, Calif. - After advancing to the finals and claiming second place at the 2006 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships for the first time since 1986, the Pepperdine men's tennis team garnered a No. 2 national ranking, marking the highest ranking under head coach Adam Steinberg's four seasons with the Waves.

Pepperdine reached a No. 1 ranking in 1986 after winning the ITA National Team Indoors.

The Waves (13-1) defeated 13th-seeded Florida State 4-0 in the first round to advance them to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1998, which was followed by a 4-2 win over then-No. 5 Mississippi. With the win, Pepperdine advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 1986. The Waves handed then-No. 9 Duke a 4-1 defeat before falling 4-0 to then-No. 2 Georgia in the finals. The title moved the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking.

Following Georgia and Pepperdine in the Top 10 are Illinois, Mississippi, Duke, Florida, Stanford, UCLA, Baylor and Washington.

Individual rankings for singles and doubles were also released with senior Scott Doerner capturing a career-high No. 7 ranking, while fellow senior teammate Pedro Rico moved to a No. 11 ranking. Senior Ivor Lovrak also placed in the Top 100 as he is ranked at No. 87. Doerner is 10-2 on the season, while Rico is 8-1. Lovrak is the only Wave to remain undefeated at 11-0.

The Waves also are represented in the doubles rankings with Doerner and sophomore Andre Begemann claiming a No. 4 spot. The Wave duo is 12-1 on the season, recording wins over three Top 20 doubles teams so far this season.

Pepperdine's matches on the road against Texas and Texas A&M this weekend were rescheduled due to inclement weather in the Texas. The Waves will play the Longhorns on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. and the Aggies on Saturday, April 15 with the match set for 5 p.m.

The Waves are back in action on Thursday, March 2 when they face No. 45 Michigan for a 1 p.m. match at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.