MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's tennis team heads down to La Jolla, Calif. to take part in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship this weekend. Prior to the start of the tournament, the team will take on Ball State in a dual match.
MATCH 6: Thursday, Feb. 28 at La Jolla Tennis and Country Club in La Jolla, Calif.: Pepperdine (1-4) vs. Ball State (2-5) at 10:00 am PT.
PACIFIC COAST DOUBLES: Last year at the same tournament, the Waves had
Dennis Uspensky and
Dane Esses team up and make it to the round of 16.
NEXT UP: After the doubles tournament and dual match this weekend, the Waves will head to Santa Barbara to take on the Gauchos of UCSB on Friday, March 6.
ROSTER: The Waves are bringing back three members of last year's squad in
Scotland Garapedian, Sborowitz and
Felipe Galvao. Schaechterle brought in two transfers,
Pawel Jankowiak and
Adrian Oetzbach (Velbert, Germany) from UC Riverside and Oklahoma respectively, and three freshmen in
Enrique Luque Rico,
Corrado Summaria and
Tim Zeitvogel.
SCHAECHTERLE:
Adam Schaechterle was named the 16th head coach in Pepperdine men's tennis history on May 14, 2018. Schaechterle was previously the associate head coach at the University of Notre Dame and has also spent time at the helm of the University of North Florida and assisted at his alma mater Northwestern University. At Notre Dame between 2013 and 2018, Schaechterle helped lead the team to its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2007, its first two National Indoors appearances since 2008 and the second-highest year-end ranking since 1992. While there, the team posted an 82-63 overall record in five seasons, including a 21-10 record in 2014 en route to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. This season, the team finished with a 19-14 record and reached the NCAA second round. He also coached the first singles player in Notre Dame history to reach the NCAA singles semifinals and the second doubles pair to reach the NCAA doubles semifinals since 1994. He also was selected as the United States Tennis Association Men's Collegiate National Team Coach for the 2017-18 campaign. A graduate from Northwestern, Schaechterle returned to his alma mater to take up coaching at the collegiate level after a brief stint working for Wilson Sporting Goods as a Tour and Juniors Manager in America from 2007-10.
PEPPERDINE TENNIS: The Pepperdine men's tennis program has been a dominating entity in the West Coast Conference, and reached the pinnacle of its sport by capturing the 2006 NCAA championship. The Waves rolled to 20 consecutive WCC Tournament titles between 1991 and 2010 and 43 overall since 1958, while none of their competitors have won more than seven league crowns. All-time, the program has won more than 72 percent of its matches, posting a 1,163-431 record since statistics were first kept in 1958. After reaching the NCAA finals matches in 1982 and 1986, the third time was the charm for the Waves in 2006. Under head coach Adam Steinberg, the Waves reached the NCAA final and broke through for its first national championship in men's tennis with a 4-2 victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Georgia in Palo Alto, Calif. The program boasts 83 All-American Selections and 16 West Coast Conference Players of the Year.
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 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). 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 No. 46 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
FOLLOW: Follow @PeppTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
