MALIBU, Calif. — Returning to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center for the first time in nearly a month, the #51 Pepperdine men's tennis team hosts three ranked Ivy League opponents this week, starting with a match against #55 Yale on Monday at 2 p.m.
Following that match, the Waves host #6 Columbia and #8 Harvard on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Both matches will start at 2 p.m. All matches will be live-streamed via PlaySight, and admission to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is free to the public. Live stream and live stat links can be found on the men's tennis team's schedule page at pepperdinewaves.com.
After this week, the Waves will continue their six-match homestand by hosting #2 TCU on Sunday, then #71 Washington on March 21 before opening West Coast Conference play on March 24 against Gonzaga.
MATCH 11: #51 Pepperdine (4-6) vs. #55 Yale (7-3) | Monday, March 11 | 2 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
MATCH 12: #51 Pepperdine (4-6) vs. #6 Columbia (9-2) | Wednesday, March 13 | 2 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
MATCH 13: #51 Pepperdine (4-6) vs. #8 Harvard (10-4) | Friday, March 15 | 2 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Winners of three of their last four matches, the #51 Waves have shown consistent improvement heading into their six-match homestand this Monday. With four nationally-ranked opponents — including three top-10 teams — coming to Malibu over the next seven days, Pepperdine has a prime opportunity to pad its resume heading into West Coast Conference play.
So far, the Waves seem have found the right combinations in doubles. Linus Carlsson Halldin and George Davis continue to pay dividends at the second position, as the duo has a two-match win streak at the second position. Maxi Homberg and Chris Papa are riding momentum from their 7-6 (7) win that clinched the doubles point against USC.
Reigning WCC Singles Player of the Week #24 Edward Winter has found his footing at the first position with a two-match win streak heading into Monday. Elsewhere in the lineup, Homberg leads the team with four-straight singles wins, while Carlsson Halldin and Zach Stephens are on three-match win streaks.
In a rain-delayed match against #32 USC last week, the Waves beat their crosstown rivals thanks in part to the top of the singles lineup. Winter won in straight sets over Stefan Dostanic, then senior Pietro Fellin got back in the win column with a match-clinching 6-4, 7-5 win over #50 Peter Makk for his second win over a ranked opponent this season.
The back half of Pepperdine's lineup has been interchangeable — to wit, four different Waves have notched wins at the fifth and sixth positions this season. Freshman Zach Stephens has clinched twice for the Waves so far, while George Davis and Robert Shelton picked up their first singles wins of the season against USC and UCSB, respectively.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Taking their first trip to the West Coast this season, the #55 Yale Bulldogs are looking to continue its win streak after beating Wisconsin at home 6-1 on March 1. Later this week, Yale will take on Nebraska and UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara to conclude its Southern California road trip.
Yale has no nationally ranked singles players, yet has two ranked doubles teams: #59 Theo Dean and Vignesh Gogineni, plus #77 Dean and Aidan Reilly. Of the two, Dean and Reilly have been the more successful team of the two; they have a 5-1 record in dual-match play.
The Bulldogs have no ranked singles players, however, Gogineni (16-7 overall record) and Dean (11-6) have been a solid top two in the lineup. Elsewhere, sophomore Zhengqing Ji has 9-0 record this spring while playing primarily at the fourth position.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Ranked as high as #4 in the ITA polls, the #6 Columbia Lions are currently the class of the non-Power 5 men's tennis teams with a 9-2 record. Both of the team's losses have come against top-15 opponents, plus the Lions have a three-match win streak against ranked teams going into their West Coast road trip this week. Prior to playing Pepperdine on Wednesday, the Lions will take on #31 UCLA on Monday.
As the only non-Power 5 team with multiple top-25 doubles teams, Columbia presents a difficult challenge in doubles. #18 Theo Winegar and Michael Zheng have held down the No. 1 position for the Lions, while #22 Nicolas Kotzen and Max Westphal have been Columbia's No. 2. The Lions have won the doubles point in their last three matches — all of which have been sweeps.
Columbia also has three singles players. Zheng leads the way at No. 18, while the Kotzen brothers Alex (No. 77) and Nicholas (No. 113) round out the top of the Lions' lineup. Zheng has held down the first position ever since stepping foot on campus last season; he was an All-American as a freshman with a 32-9 record, and his 18-7 record this season appears to set his sophomore campaign on a similar trajectory. Elsewhere in the lineup, Frenchman Max Westphal is on a nine-match win streak heading into this week.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON
If Columbia is leading the way for non-Power 5 teams, then the #8 Harvard Crimson is a half-step behind. With a 9-4 record — including a head-to-head win over Columbia in the ITA National Team Championships — the Crimson are looking to improve on last year's 21-6 campaign in which they reached the NCAA Round of 16. Like Columbia, Harvard gets Pepperdine in the middle of a Southern California road swing that includes matches against UCSB and California Lutheran on Tuesday before heading to Malibu.
Harvard has two nationally ranked doubles teams in #12 Cooper Williams and Daniel Milavsky, plus #75 Alan Yim and Ronan Jachuck — the latter of which has only played once this season. Williams and Milavsky have an 18-8 record this season, albeit with a 5-6 mark in dual match play at the first position. So far, David Lins and Henry von der Schulenburg lead the Crimson with a 6-1 record playing at the third position.
In singles, Harvard has two nationally ranked players in #13 Williams and #104 Milavsky. Williams, who was the seventh-ranked player in the ITA's Newcomer rankings, has been as good as advertised in his first year of collegiate tennis. However, the true freshman from New York City has struggled lately with a 2-3 record in his last five matches. Milavsky, meanwhile, leads the team with 10 wins in dual match play and a stellar 10-1 record at the third position.
FOLLOW: Follow @PeppTennis on Facebook and X for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
