March 26, 2012
Match Notes 
MALIBU, Calif. - The #8-ranked Pepperdine men's tennis team wraps up the bulk of its non-conference portion of the season with a 1 p.m. match versus #10 Stanford on Wednesday, March 28. The week continues with a West Coast Conference doubleheader on Sunday, April 1 against both Santa Clara and San Francisco.
DINNER AND A SHOW - Watch two top-10 ranked teams battle it out on Wednesday, and enjoy FREE food! Pink's Hot Dogs will be served to fans during the Pepperdine vs. Stanford match, which begins at 1 p.m.
MATCH #18 - Wednesday (March 28) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #8 Pepperdine (11-6, 1-0 WCC) vs. #10 Stanford (10-4) at 1 p.m.
MATCH #19 - Sunday (April 1) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #8 Pepperdine vs. #34 Santa Clara (14-3, 1-0 WCC) at 10:30 a.m.
MATCH #20 - Sunday (April 1) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center: #8 Pepperdine vs. San Francisco (3-10, 1-0 WCC) at 3:30 p.m.
COVERAGE - Live scoring updates will be available for all three matches this week and can be accessed at: http://www.pepperdinesports.com/livestats/m-tennis/xlive.htm
TWITTER - Fans can follow the Waves on Twitter @PeppTennis or @PepperdineWaves and "like" us on Facebook by searching for Pepperdine Athletics.
LOOKING BACK - The Waves extended their win streak to eight matches after shutting out both #59 Nebraska and #17 Washington. Finn Tearney won matches No. 7 and No. 8 in a row, after defeating #73 Chris Aumueller, 6-3, 6-0 and Emmett Egger, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Sebastian Fanselow improved his dual season record versus ranked opponents to 7-1 after downing #87 Benedikt Lindheim and #17 Kyle McMorrow. In doubles, Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer upped their dual record to a team-best 10-3 after two convincing wins last week.
WHAT'S NEXT - The West Coast Conference portion of the season is now in full swing. The Waves travel to San Diego next week Wednesday, April 4, before facing Saint Mary's on the road on Saturday, April. 7.
TEAM RANKINGS - The Waves are currently ranked a season-best #8 and await the next installment of the ITA rankings on Tuesday. Other WCC schools to be recognized as a top-75 team include San Diego (#23), Santa Clara (#34) and BYU (#38).
SINGLED OUT - The latest individual rankings were released on March 13 and several Waves have earned a spot in the poll. In singles, three Pepperdine student-athletes are currently ranked including Sebastian Fanselow (#11), Finn Tearney (#19) and Mousheg Hovhannisyan (#76). In doubles, Tearney and Llompart are listed at #3 while Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer entered the rankings for the first time at #75. New rankings come out on Tuesday, March 27.
STANFORD - The Cardinal is 10-4 this season and riding a three-match win streak. Ryan Thatcher is ranked #23 and holds down the top spot in the singles lineup with a 7-3 record. Bradley Klahn is ranked #74 in singles. Together, the duo ranks #9 and most recently won the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship. Thatcher is listed at #69 when paired with John Morrissey.
SANTA CLARA - The Broncos are 14-3 and play LMU on Saturday before making the trip to Malibu. Santa Clara has won seven in a row, including a 4-3 win versus then-#40 BYU.
SAN FRANCISCO - The Dons are just 3-10 this season, but opened the WCC season with a 5-2 victory over Saint Mary's. USF will also pay a visit the Loyola Marymount before playing at Pepperdine.
WCC DOUBLES TEAM OF THE MONTH - Alex Llompart and Finn Tearney jumped from #53 to #4 in the ITA Collegiate Doubles Rankings on February 28, and for good reason. The Wave duo tallied five wins during the month of February, three of which were against teams ranked in the top-10. To open the month, Llompart and Tearney issued top ranked Blaz Rola and Chase Buchanan of Ohio State their first loss of the season. Llompart and Tearney went on to defeat #9-ranked Nassim Slilam and Billy Federhofer of Florida and #3-ranked Ashley Watling and Clifford Marsland of Tulsa to clinch the doubles point and help send the Waves to a 4-3 triumph versus the Golden Hurricane. The Waves have since moved to #3.
SEB IN SINGLES - Junior Sebastian Fanselow is 12-3 in singles so far this dual season, including a 8-2 record from the No. 1 spot in the lineup. Fanselow is currently riding a six-match win streak, including two victories versus players ranked in the top-five.
ONE-TWO PUNCH - Finn Tearney, who is a team-best 13-3 in duals, provides a lot of depth at the top of the lineup. Since moving to the No. 2, he is 10-2 and has won the last eight consecutive matches. Since the dual season started in January, the junior is 9-3 against ranked opponents.
DOUBLES - In addition to Finn Tearney and Alex Llompart, Australian natives Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer have paired up in doubles and boast the teams' best overall record at 14-4. In dual action, they hold down the No. 3 spot with an 10-3 record and have won seven of the last eight matches. The duo recently broke into the ITA doubles rankings at #75.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Waves boast one of the toughest schedules in the country, and have already played 13 teams ranked in the top-25, with seven of those teams listed in the top-10.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Finn Tearney picked up West Coast Conference Singles Player of the Month honors after reaching the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships on Oct. 20-24 in Malibu. Although the junior has earned doubles player of the month recognition on four occasions, this was the first time he was honored for his success in singles. Sebastian Fanselow earned the same award for the month of November.
THE LINEUP - In singles, Sebastian Fanselow and Finn Tearney trade time in the top two spots, while Alex Llompart and Mousheg Hovhannisyan hold down the middle of the lineup. Hugh Clarke, Jenson Turner and David Sofaer share time playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Llompart and Tearney play No. 1 doubles, while Fanselow and Turner have been a mainstay at No. 2. Clarke and Sofaer team up to play No. 3 doubles.
Adam Steinberg -- Now in his 10th season as head coach of the Waves, Adam Steinberg enters the 2011 season with a career record of 324-145 (.691) including a 180-61 (.747) mark at Pepperdine. Since setting foot on the Malibu campus in 2003, Steinberg has captured eight WCC conference championships, eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and an NCAA Championship crown in 2006. He has tutored 15 Waves to All-American status, and has been named WCC Coach of the Year five times. Prior to coming to Pepperdine, Steinberg served as the head coach at Alabama and St. John's for five seasons apiece.
2011 DUAL RECAP -- The Waves finished the 2011 season with a 18-5 record and concluded the season ranked #15 in the Campbell's/ITA Collegiate Rankings. Pepperdine defeated two top-10 ranked teams including #4 Duke and #7 Texas A&M. Sebastian Fanselow, Finn Tearney and Alex Llompart were all named to the All-WCC first team in singles, while Fanselow and Jenson Turner were awarded all-conference honors in doubles after piecing together an 18-1 dual season record as a pair. At the 2011 NCAA Singles Championships, Fanselow advanced to the round of 16 to earn All-American distinction.
TENNIS HISTORY -- The Pepperdine men's tennis program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 35 times in 38 seasons, including an NCAA championship in 2006. Within the WCC, Pepperdine has dominated the competition, winning 41 conference championships since 1958.
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 16 schools to have accomplished this feat - and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest enrollment and is the only school not in a major conference. 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 #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges. The 2011-12 school year marks Pepperdine's 75th anniversary.
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