MALIBU, Calif. — Making its return to Malibu after playing two matches in Indian Wells, Calif., the No. 21 Pepperdine men's tennis team will host No. 9 Columbia in a rare match under the lights on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Free hot chocolate, cookies and glow sticks will be given to all fans in attendance. Admission to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is free to the public, plus the match will be livestreamed via PlaySight. All pertinent information can be found on the men's tennis team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
MATCH 17: #21 Pepperdine (10-6) vs. #9 Columbia (10-3) | Thursday, March 20 | 7 p.m. PT | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Coming off a third-place showing at the 2025 UTR Sports Collegiate Championships at the BNP Paribas Open, the No. 21 Pepperdine Waves returned to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-25 rankings this week.
The Waves aim to stay in the top 25 from here on out. A top-16 ranking and hosting the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament is still attainable for the Waves, who are enjoying one of the best seasons under head coach Adam Schaechterle. So far, Pepperdine has six ranked wins and nine victories over 2024 NCAA Tournament teams, yet the Waves are searching for another signature win. Earlier this year, the Waves upset No. 9 Texas A&M 6-1 at home; perhaps the Waves will recapture that magic at home on Thursday night.
Led by reigning West Coast Conference Singles Player of the Week Edward Winter and No. 66 Maxi Homberg, the Waves' singles lineup has two nationally ranked players at the top and one of the nation's best freshman classes.
Winter, who rose up to No. 28 in the ITA polls after two ranked wins last week, is in the midst of arguably the best stretch of his college career. The Australian sophomore has a 10-4 record atop Pepperdine's lineup, which matches his dual-match win total from his freshman season. Armed with a world-class backhand and a much-improved serve from a year ago, Winter carries a five-match winning streak into Thursday, which will be Winter's biggest test of the season against defending NCAA singles champion and the nation's top-ranked singles player Michael Zheng.
However, Pepperdine's freshman trio of Lasse Poertner, Aleksa Pisaric and David Fix are riding high after solid play at Indian Wells last week. The trio has lived up to expectations as the nation's second-ranked recruiting class, accounting for 22 of the team's 46 dual-match wins collectively so far. Thankfully for Pepperdine, all three men are starting to peak at the right time.
Gifted with a powerful first-serve, Poertner leads the team with a six-match win streak and won both of his matches in straight sets against Baylor and Princeton. His eight dual-match wins rank second on the team. Poertner and his doubles partner, Pisaric, are interchangeable at the fourth and fifth positions, yet Poertner has found his home on court four lately.
Pisaric is riding a three-match win streak coming into Thursday, where he hopes to clinch another match against a top-10 opponent this year. The Serbian freshman broke onto the scene by clinching the Waves' win over Texas A&M earlier this season and has pieced together an impressive freshman campaign. Thanks to his athleticism, willingness to grind out long rallies and knack for rallying back from deficits, Pisaric is a tough out at the fifth position. Earlier this week against Princeton, Pisaric bounced back from a second-set loss to clinch the Waves' 4-2 win.
In doubles, Pepperdine has no pairings in the latest ITA rankings, yet all three of its teams have winning records. The Waves' team of Pisaric and Poertner lead the team with a stellar 11-3 record at the third position. Linus Carlsson Halldin and Homberg give the Waves a veteran team at the second position, while Pepperdine's top team of Edward Winter and his younger brother Hugh Winter picked up their first-ranked victory against Middle Tennessee last week.
ACROSS THE NET
Simply put, the Columbia Lions are one of the nation's best programs outside the Power-4 ranks.
Led by reigning NCAA Singles Champion and the ITA's top singles player Michael Zheng, the No. 9 Columbia Lions are one of the premier programs in men's tennis. Head coach Howard Endelman's squad returns nine players from its 2024 Elite Eight squad, which was the most successful team in program history. This year the Lions appear to be on a similar trajectory; they have a 10-3 record and have been a top-10 team all year.
For those who know college tennis, Zheng needs no introduction. The defending national champion, three-time All-American and two-time NCAA singles finalist, Zheng has a stellar 28-3 record this year. All three of his losses have come against top-15 players. A crafty player with plenty of weapons and stamina to power through three-set matches, Zheng will be one of the best players the Waves see all season.
Yet the Lions are far from a one-man team. Columbia has three more nationally ranked players in No. 42 Nicolas Kotzen, No. 59 Hugo Hashimoto and No. 123 Max Westphal — all of whom have 10 dual match wins or more. Kotzen and Westphal carry six-match win streaks heading into this Thursday, while Sachin Palta — who clinched the Lions' 4-3 win at No. 6 San Diego on Monday — has won his last five.
Columbia has won the doubles point nine times in their 13 matches this year. Zheng is the common denominator in both of the Lions' nationally ranked teams: He and Hashimoto rank 22nd, while Zheng and Kotzen rank 36th. The Lions won the doubles point in every match of their current five-match win streak.
Columbia leads the all-time series 2-1, and both of its wins have come at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. Pepperdine's last win over the Lions was in 1984.
WHAT'S NEXT
Pepperdine will resume West Coast Conference play on Sunday, March 30 at No. 71 Santa Clara. A start time has not been set. All pertinent information can be found on the men's tennis team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
