STOCKTON, Calif. — Holding off an upset-minded Pacific squad, the #41 Pepperdine Waves clinched a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title for the fifth time in program history with their 4-3 win over the #48 Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Freshman Edward Winter clinched for the Waves with his 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 win on court one, which saw him trail 5-3 in the second set before rallying for the three-set victory.
"It was a special experience to compete in this kind of match with a title on the line," Head coach Adam Schaechterle said. "And, we don't experience the moment without Pacific competing the way they did. Huge respect for how they battled, and for their success this season."
"For my own guys, I'm so proud of how they play for each other. We started the season 1-5, and we lost one of our best players for the season. But, these guys love each other and it shines through in how they compete."
Playing against an upset-minded Pacific team that needed a win to help its postseason chances, the Waves (13-10, 6-1 WCC) fended off the Tigers (16-4, 5-3 WCC) by winning the doubles point, then sealing the deal with straight-set wins from Pietro Fellin and Zach Stephens before Winter finished the job on court one. Winners of their last six matches, the Waves will ride the league's best win streak into this week's WCC Tournament, which starts on Friday. Pepperdine has a first-round bye and will face either the 3-seed or the 6-seed in the semifinals.
Sunday's match was close from the get-go. In doubles, both teams traded lopsided wins on courts two and three, setting the stage for Linus Carlsson Halldin and George Davis on court one. Neither team went up a break in a back-and-forth match until the Pepperdine duo rattled off three straight points to open the breaker. That proved to be enough of a cushion for the Waves, who clinched the doubles point with Davis' forehand at the net to cap off the 7-6 (4) victory.
Singles play was equally close, as both teams won three first sets apiece, and three matches needed three sets to decide the outcomes. Pacific would get on the board with a singles victory on court six, but the Waves responded with straight-set wins on courts two and five to take a 3-1 lead.
Senior Pietro Fellin extended his team-leading win streak to eight with his win over Justas Trainauskas. The first set saw both players trade breaks early: Trainauskas broke Fellin back to put the match on serve in the sixth game and consolidated the break before Fellin broke Trainauskas in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead. After holding serve to win the first set 6-4, both players were tied at three-all in the sixth game until Fellin won the final three games of the second set to win 6-4, 6-3.
Stephens also helped Pepperdine's cause with his fifth WCC singles win at the fifth position over Ran Amar. After winning the first set 6-4, Stephens went up a break early in the second set to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth game. However, Amar played his way back into the match by winning a break point and the next three games to go up 4-3. Stephens broke Amar in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead, but Amar broke back on deuce point to extend the match. But the Pepperdine freshman eventually prevailed late to win 6-4, 7-5.
With Pepperdine up 3-1 and two of the three remaining matches in their third sets, the Tigers turned two of the matches to tie the score. While Carlsson Halldin was closing out his third set on court three, #44 Winter put together a second-set comeback that would eventually determine the match. Trailing 5-3 in the second set after losing his first set to Pacific senior Peter Alam, Winter held serve in the ninth game, then broke Alam for a 5-5 tie in a swing that proved to be pivotal. Winter and Alam traded breaks down the stretch to force a tiebreaker, which Winter won 7-6 (4).
Playing with newfound confidence, Winter broke Alam in the first game and didn't look back as he went up 3-0 in the final set. Both players traded breaks in the next two games before Winter consolidated the break in the sixth game. On deuce point in the final game, Winter broke Alam for the match when Alam's forehand went into the net.
RESULTS
Singles
1. #44 Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Peter Alam (PACIFIC) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1
2. Pietro Fellin (PEPP) def. Justas Trainauskas (PACIFIC) 6-4, 6-3
3. Tiago Silva (PACIFIC) def. Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPP) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5)
4. Terence Das (PACIFIC) def. George Davis (PEPP) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Zach Stephens (PEPP) def. Ran Amar (PACIFIC) 6-4, 7-5
6. Andre Rodeia (PACIFIC) def. Robert Shelton (PEPP) 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 6,2,5,4,3,1*
Doubles
1. Linus Carlsson Halldin/George Davis (PEPP) def. Peter Alam/Justas Trainauskas (PACIFIC) 7-6 (4)
2. Edward Winter/Pietro Fellin (PEPP) def. Andre Rodeia/Tommy Czaplinski (PACIFIC) 6-2
3. Christof Schaertlin Coffey/Tiago Silva (PACIFIC) def. Chris Papa/Zach Stephens (PEPP) 6-3
Order of finish: 2,3,1
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