Feb. 25, 2014
MALIBU, Calif. - For the second time this season, seniors Francis Alcantara and Alex Sarkissian earned West Coast Conference Doubles Team of the Week honors. The pair, who entered the ITA doubles rankings earlier today at #7, posted their second win of the season over a top-10 ranked opponent during last week's action.
Alcantara (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines/Fresno State) and Sarkissian (Glendale, Calif./Glendale CC) continued their dominance last week, going 2-0 with wins over doubles teams from Loyola Marymount and UCLA.
The Waves opened the week at LMU, where Alcantara and Sarkissian edged Todd Volmari and Sebastian Bustamante in the tiebreaker to clinch the doubles point for Pepperdine. It was the sixth time the senior duo had clinched the doubles point in a must-win situation for the Waves this season.
The week continued with a visit to #4 UCLA, where Alcantara and Sarkissian faced #9 Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald. Although the Waves had lost to the Bruin pair the week prior - Alcantara and Sarkissian's only setback in dual play this season - Pepperdine paid the Bruins back for the loss, winning 8-5 on Saturday.
The Wave tandem is now 8-1 on the dual season, including two wins over top-10 ranked pairs. In addition to this week's win over Giron and McDonald, Alcantara and Sarkissian also own a 6-3 win over then-#1 ranked Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis of Tennessee.
The first computerized rankings issued by the ITA were released earlier today, and the senior duo was heavily rewarded for their success and entered the polls at #7.
Pepperdine, listed at #28 as a team, hosts a doubleheader on Wednesday, beginning at 10 a.m. vs. #71 Nevada. The afternoon brings in UC Irvine at 3 p.m.
WCC Men's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Feb. 11: Francis Alcantara/Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine
Feb. 18: Ratan Gill/Alex Ferrero, Portland
Feb. 25: Francis Alcantara/Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine
WCC Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Feb. 11: Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine
Feb. 18: James Tallman, San Francisco
Feb. 25: Ilya Osintsev, Santa Clara
