Men's Tennis in Action on Tuesday and Wednesday
3/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 18, 2012
MALIBU, Calif. - Riding a six-match win streak, the #8 Pepperdine men's tennis team looks to make it eight in a row with home duals versus #55 Nebraska and #17 Washington early next week. The Waves square off with the Cornhuskers on Tuesday, March 21 before taking on the Huskies on Wednesday.
MATCH #16 - Tuesday (March 21) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #8 Pepperdine (9-6) vs. #55 Nebraska (7-5) at 1 p.m.
MATCH #17 - Wednesday (March 22) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #8 Pepperdine vs. #17 Washington (11-2) at 1 p.m.
COVERAGE - Live scoring updates will be available for both matches this week and can be accessed at: http://www.pepperdinesports.com/livestats/m-tennis/xlive.htm
TWITTER - Fans can follow the Waves on Twitter @PeppTennis or @PepperdineWaves and "like" us on Facebook by searching for Pepperdine Athletics.
LOOKING BACK - The Waves opened their six-match homestand with a commanding 6-1 victory over #22 Texas Tech. Sebastian Fanselow and Jenson Turner overcame a 6-1 deficit (including three match points) and came back to win 9-7 and clinch the doubles point for Pepperdine. The momentum carried over in singles, as the Waves won five of the six matches to pull away with the team win.
WHAT'S NEXT - Pepperdine hosts three matches next week, beginning Stanford on Wednesday, March 28. On Sunday, April 1, the Waves welcome both Santa Clara and San Francisco for a West Coast Conference doubleheader.
TEAM RANKINGS - The Waves are currently ranked a season-best #8 and await the next installment of the ITA rankings on Monday. Other WCC schools to be recognized as a top-75 team include San Diego (#16), Santa Clara (#35) and BYU (#41)
SINGLED OUT - The latest individual rankings were released on March 13 and several Waves have earned a spot in the poll. In singles, three Pepperdine student-athletes are currently ranked including Sebastian Fanselow (#11), Finn Tearney (#19) and Mousheg Hovhannisyan (#76). In doubles, Tearney and Llompart are listed at #3 while Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer entered the rankings for the first time at #75.
NEBRASKA - The Cornhuskers are 7-5 and currently ranked #55 ... In singles, Christopher Aumueller is ranked #73 and Benedikt Lindheim is listed at #87. Together, they boast a doubles ranking of #16,
WASHINGTON - The Huskies are 11-2 this season, with their only losses coming to Boise State and Duke ... As a team they are ranked #17, while individually Kyle McMorrow is listed at #17 in singles. McMorrow and Emmett Egger are ranked #63 in doubles.
WCC DOUBLES TEAM OF THE MONTH - Alex Llompart and Finn Tearney jumped from #53 to #4 in the ITA Collegiate Doubles Rankings on February 28, and for good reason. The Wave duo tallied five wins during the month of February, three of which were against teams ranked in the top-10. To open the month, Llompart and Tearney issued top ranked Blaz Rola and Chase Buchanan of Ohio State their first loss of the season. Llompart and Tearney went on to defeat #9-ranked Nassim Slilam and Billy Federhofer of Florida and #3-ranked Ashley Watling and Clifford Marsland of Tulsa to clinch the doubles point and help send the Waves to a 4-3 triumph versus the Golden Hurricane. The Waves have since moved to #3.
SEB IN SINGLES - Junior Sebastian Fanselow is 10-3 in singles so far this dual season, including a 7-2 record from the No. 1 spot in the lineup. Fanselow is currently riding a four-match win streak, including two victories versus players ranked in the top-five.
ONE-TWO PUNCH - Finn Tearney, who is a team-best 11-3 in duals, provides a lot of depth at the top of the lineup. Since moving to the No. 2, he is 9-2 and has won the last six consecutive matches. Since the dual season started in January, the junior is 8-3 against ranked opponents.
DOUBLES - In addition to Finn Tearney and Alex Llompart, Australian natives Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer have paired up in doubles and boast the teams' best overall record at 12-4. In dual action, they hold down the No. 3 spot with an 8-3 record and have won six of the last seven. The duo recently broke into the ITA doubles rankings at #75.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Waves boast one of the toughest schedules in the country, and have already played 12 teams ranked in the top-25, with seven of those teams listed in the top-10.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Finn Tearney picked up West Coast Conference Singles Player of the Month honors after reaching the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships on Oct. 20-24 in Malibu. Although the junior has earned doubles player of the month recognition on four occasions, this was the first time he was honored for his success in singles. Sebastian Fanselow earned the same award for the month of November.
THE LINEUP - In singles, Sebastian Fanselow and Finn Tearney trade time in the top two spots, while Alex Llompart and Mousheg Hovhannisyan hold down the middle of the lineup. Hugh Clarke, Jenson Turner and David Sofaer share time playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Llompart and Tearney play No. 1 doubles, while Fanselow and Turner have been a mainstay at No. 2. Clarke and Sofaer team up to play No. 3 doubles.
REGIONAL SUCCESS - Pepperdine hosted the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships last October. Four Waves reached the fourth round with Finn Tearney and Mousheg Hovhannisyan emerging to the quarterfinals. Tearney advanced to the semifinals after defeating Hovhannisyan before suffering a loss to the eventual winner, Ray Sarmiento of USC. For his efforts, Tearney was awarded an at-large bid to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships. Sebastian Fanselow was awarded one of two ITA wildcard entries into the bracket.
ITA ALL-AMERICAN RECAP - Four members of the Pepperdine men's tennis team, including Mousheg Hovhannisyan, Jenson Turner, Finn Tearney and Sebastian Fanselow gained entry to the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. Hovhannisyan tallied three-straight wins in qualifying to earn a spot in the singles main draw. Fanselow reached the consolation singles final but suffered a loss, narrowly missing out on the automatic bid to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in Flushing, N.Y. next month.
Adam Steinberg — Now in his 10th season as head coach of the Waves, Adam Steinberg enters the 2011 season with a career record of 324-145 (.691) including a 180-61 (.747) mark at Pepperdine. Since setting foot on the Malibu campus in 2003, Steinberg has captured eight WCC conference championships, eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and an NCAA Championship crown in 2006. He has tutored 15 Waves to All-American status, and has been named WCC Coach of the Year five times. Prior to coming to Pepperdine, Steinberg served as the head coach at Alabama and St. John's for five seasons apiece.
2011 DUAL RECAP — The Waves finished the 2011 season with a 18-5 record and concluded the season ranked #15 in the Campbell's/ITA Collegiate Rankings. Pepperdine defeated two top-10 ranked teams including #4 Duke and #7 Texas A&M. Sebastian Fanselow, Finn Tearney and Alex Llompart were all named to the All-WCC first team in singles, while Fanselow and Jenson Turner were awarded all-conference honors in doubles after piecing together an 18-1 dual season record as a pair. At the 2011 NCAA Singles Championships, Fanselow advanced to the round of 16 to earn All-American distinction.
TENNIS HISTORY — The Pepperdine men's tennis program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 35 times in 38 seasons, including an NCAA championship in 2006. Within the WCC, Pepperdine has dominated the competition, winning 41 conference championships since 1958.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports - one of just 16 schools to have accomplished this feat - and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest enrollment and is the only school not in a major conference. Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges. The 2011-12 school year marks Pepperdine's 75th anniversary.
