Men's Tennis 2011-12 Schedule Revealed
8/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Aug. 17, 2011
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MALIBU, Calif. - Twelve home duals, in addition to five distinguished fall tournaments, headline the 2011-12 Pepperdine men's tennis schedule, as announced by head coach Adam Steinberg. The Waves begin the pursuit towards their 36th NCAA Tournament appearance on Oct. 1, when they open the year at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
Although five tournaments in seven weeks time seems like a busy fall schedule, only a portion of the nine-member team will represent the Waves at each competition.
"We're playing less in the fall than we have in years past," explained Steinberg. "This is the student-athletes' chance to really work on their individual game, to hit the weight room, and really just prepare as much as possible for January when the dual season starts.
"We want everyone to remain healthy and ready to go."
Following the ITA All-American Championships, which will include 2011 All-American Sebastian Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Prep) and Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zeeland/Wellington College), who advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Singles Championship, the Waves travel to San Francisco, Calif. for the Battle of the Bay Classic on Oct. 14-16.
The Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center becomes an epicenter for collegiate tennis on Oct. 20-24, when area teams converge for the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional. The winners of both the singles and doubles portion of the tournament move on to the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships on Nov. 3-6 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Last season, Fanselow knocked off top-seeded Daniel Nguyen in a thrilling two-set win during the title match to punch his ticket to the National Indoor Championships.
The month of November opens with the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships on Nov. 3-6, and closes with the Lakewood Ranch Clay Court Intercollegiate Classic on Nov. 11-13.
After a month-long hiatus, Pepperdine resumes the season on Jan. 22, 2012 for its dual-season opener versus Fresno State - one of 16 schools on the Waves' slate that competed in the 2011 NCAA Championships.
Pepperdine earned hosting privileges to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, and will battle Cal Poly, BYU and Vanderbilt on Jan. 28-29 for a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
"That second weekend of our season is really important," continued Steinberg. "We didn't make it to the national indoor tournament last season, and we expect to be there year after year."
There's no let up in the schedule, as the Waves play Ohio State, Kentucky, UCLA, Tulsa, Oklahoma, William & Mary, Duke and California all on the road or at a neutral site within one month's time.
The lone home date within that span is on Feb.10 versus USC -- the defending NCAA Champions.
Pepperdine returns to its home courts at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis on March 14 for a Wednesday afternoon dual with Texas Tech. Nebraska, Washington and Stanford also make stops in Malibu before the month closes.
The regular season wraps with seven matches against West Coast Conference opponents. While the Waves have routinely faced league teams during the regular season in the past, this is the first year that all eight teams are on the schedule.
The WCC Tournament returns to the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif. on April 27-29. Pepperdine has claimed 20 of the last 21 league crowns.
The pinnacle of the season, NCAA Tournament, concludes the year for the Waves. First and second rounds will be contested at 16 campus sites May 11-13. The winning teams from each site, as well as individuals who received bids to the singles and doubles tournament, convene at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. on May 18-28.
