April 20, 2011

Tournament Notes and Bracket

MALIBU, Calif. - The #29 Pepperdine women's tennis team (11-7, 3-0 WCC) looks to reclaim its league crown at the 2011 West Coast Conference Championships on April 21-23 in San Diego, Calif. Opening rounds begin on Thursday morning at 8 a.m., and continue through Saturday afternoon at the Barnes Tennis Center.

TOURNAMENT SEEDS - Despite going a perfect 3-0 versus league opponents this season, Pepperdine received the No. 2 seed in the tournament behind San Diego's top seed. By virtue of the Campbell/ITA Collegiate rankings, the Toreros took the top spot ahead of the Waves because they are ranked #27 as a team, while Pepperdine is currently listed at #29.

THE BRACKET - The Waves are set for an 11:30 a.m. rematch with Loyola Marymount (6-15, 1-4) on Thursday, April 21 at 11:30 a.m. Pepperdine played LMU earlier this season and emerged with a 7-0 win over the Lions. A win would not only give the Waves an additional point in the PCH Cup Standings, it would allow them to advance to the semifinals, where they'll meet the winner of the Portland-Saint Mary's match.

The top half of the bracket consists to a San Diego-San Francisco and Santa Clara-Gonzaga quarterfinal lineup.

LOOKING BACK - The Waves nearly upended #6-ranked UCLA in their home regular-season finale, but narrowly succumbed to a 4-3 loss. Ale Granillo and Khunpak Issara defeated #16-ranked doubles pair McCall Jones and Noelle Hickey 8-4, while Anamika Bhargava topped #43 Hickey in straight sets on her senior day.

WAVES vs. WCC - Pepperdine is a perfect 3-0 versus West Coast Conference opponents heading into this weekend's tournament, defeating San Diego, Saint Mary's and Loyola Marymount over the course of the season. The Waves met with the Toreros on Jan. 31 at the ITA Team Indoor Qualifier, and won 4-3. On March 27, Pepperdine welcomed Saint Mary's to the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The teams battled to a 3-3 tie, before Anamika Bhargava delivered a three-set victory on court three to clinch the dual win for Pepperdine. The Waves followed that up with a 7-0 rout over the Lions.

ON THE WEB — Live scoring updates for this weekend's action can be found at Championship Central, located at WCCSports.com. Full results and recaps can be found at www.PepperdineSports.com.

SIZING THE FIELD - Four teams within the West Coast Conference are in the ITA/Campbell Collegiate rankings, including San Diego (#27), Pepperdine (#29), Saint Mary's (#47) and Santa Clara (#57). Several individuals have been singled out as well. Alexandra Poorta of Saint Mary's boasts the highest individual singles ranking at #47, followed by Stephanie Hoffpauir of USD who is listed at #69. Poorta's teammate Catherin Isip is listed at #76.

In doubles, Pepperdine boasts the top-two ranked doubles teams. Anamika Bhargava and Marie Zalameda are ranked #53 as a team, followed by Khunpak Issara and Ale Granillo's ranking of #66. Hoffpauir and Juliette Coupez are ranked #74. For the Broncos, Isip is ranked #82 when playing with Laurie Gingras, and #89 when playing alongside Poorta. Finally, Santa Clara's Katie Le and Jessica Agra are ranked #88 as a duo.

WCC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - Pepperdine has dominated the West Coast Conference, winning 21 league titles since 1986. After US International (no longer a member of the conference) won in 1986 and 1987, the Waves went on a 14-year win streak. Loyola Marymount captured the WCC crown in 2002, but the Waves were back on top the following season. Saint Mary's is the only other school to win the conference championship, and did so for the first and only time last season.

WIN NO. 600 - With a career dual record of 599-306 head coach Gualberto Escudero could potentially reach win No. 600 vs. Loyola Marymount on Thursday, April 21.

Anamika Bhargava - The senior from Collierville, Tenn. celebrated her senior day versus UCLA last week Wednesday with a singles win over a ranked opponent to improve her dual-season record to 11-5. She enters this weekend with a team-best five match win streak.

20-WINS CLUB - Khunpak Issara was the first reach 20 singles win this season with a victory over a UCLA opponent last time out. The Bangkok, Thailand native is a team-best 14-4 in duals this season, and 20-14 overall.

LET THE RECORD SHOW - Khunpak Issara leads the team with 20 singles wins. In doubles, Anamika Bhargava and Marie Zalameda went 9-2 in the fall, and teamed up for the first time during the dual season on March 19 versus Arizona with a win. They are currently 11-7 overall. In duals, Issara and Ale Granillo are a team-best 6-1. They entered the latest installment of the doubles rankings at #66 for their 8-4 win over a Bruin tandem who was listed at #16.

CAMPBELL/ITA RANKINGS — The Waves moved to #29 in the latest installment of the Campbell/ITA team rankings.

MUSICAL PARTNERS - Gualberto Escudero has changed is doubles lineup around quite a bit this season, utilizing 13 different pairs in the three doubles spots. Marie Zalameda and Anamika Bhargava returned to the No. 1 spot in the lineup, are ranked #34 and boast a team-high 11-7 overall record.

CENTURY MARK x9 - Wednesday, March 9's match against San Diego State marked Gualberto Escudero's 900th dual coached for the Waves. In his 34 seasons at the helm of the program, Escudero has amassed a record of 599-307.

WCC PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Pepperdine's success on the court routinely brings in honors and awards. So far this season, the Waves have earned Player of the Month recognition on six occasions

FALL RECAP - The Waves collectively tallied 41 singles wins and 17 doubles victories during the tournament season. Andrea Oates finished the fall with a team-best nine singles wins, followed by Ali Walters and Marie Zalameda, who both recorded seven. On the doubles court, Bhargava and Zalameda posted a 9-2 record highlighted by tournament wins at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational and UCSB Classic.

WHO'S BACK — The Waves have six letterwinners back from the 2009-10 squad including All-WCC singles first teamers Anamika Bhargava and Arianna Colffer. Pepperdine boasts a deep lineup this season as Ali Walters, Andrea Oates, Marie Zalameda and Tara Panu also return for the 2010-11 campaign.

WHO'S NEW — The Waves welcome freshmen Megan Moore, a product of Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore., and Ale Granillo, hailing from Pachuca, Mexico to the 2010-11 roster. Moore was a four-time all-state honoree, and tallied a singles record of 65-8. Granillo was ranked as high as #1 in Mexico according to the WTA and in the top-500 worldwide. Pepperdine also adds Khunpak Issara to the lineup after the Bangkok, Thailand native was redshirted last season. Prior to joining the tennis team at Pepperdine, Issara reached as high as #32 in the ITF junior rankings. Jackie Owens is also new to Pepperdine, joining the team in January.

Gualberto Escudero — Now in his 34th season at the helm of the program, Gualberto Escudero enters the 2010-11 season with a career record of 588-300 (.662). He took over as head coach in 1977-78 after a decorated career as a student-athlete at Pepperdine. On the court, he was a finalist at the 1969 WCAC singles tournament and won the doubles title with John Lovelace. Pepperdine won conference titles in 1969 and 1970 and finished second the next two seasons. His transition from player to coach was a successful one as Escudero has tutored 29 All-Americans, and was honored as WCC Coach of the Year on three occasions.

2010 RECAP — The Waves placed second at the WCC Championships after shutting out Portland and San Diego on their way to the title match. The team made its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished the season with 12 dual match victories, including seven wins at home. Ali Walters and Andrea Oates led the Waves with 17 singles wins apiece, while Anamika Bhargava and Marie Zalameda dominated the doubles court with 13 victories. Pepperdine defeated six ranked teams and finished the season at #43 on the Campbell/ITA Division I poll.

PEPPERDINE TWEETS — To receive all the latest up-to-date information on the Waves, follow the Pepperdine Athletics Twitter at www.twitter.com/peppsports

TENNIS HISTORY — The Pepperdine women's tennis program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 30 times in 34 seasons, and has advanced to the Round of 16 on 11 occasions. Within the WCC, Pepperdine has dominated the competition, winning 21 conference championships since 1988.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.