Tulane University
#33 Pepperdine
No. 37 Tulane MTN Advances to ITA Kickoff Final
Jan 22, 2016 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES - In their first ranked matchup of the 2016 dual season, the No. 37 Tulane men's tennis team (3-0) swept No. 33 Pepperdine (0-1), 4-0, in the battle of the Waves Friday morning inside Marks Stadium. As a result, the Green Wave advance to the ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship match against No. 8 USC on Saturday, with the winner of that match securing a berth to the National Indoor Championships in February.
"This was a great team effort from start to finish," Tulane men's tennis head coach Mark Booras stated. "We came out with a bang in doubles, stuck to the game plans, stayed aggressive and got the point to give us nice momentum into the singles round."
Competing in doubles for the first time together since their run to the main draw quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships, No. 17 Chi-Shan Jao and Dominik Koepfer picked up right where they left off with a 6-2 win over Pedro Iamachkine and Lautaro Pane on court one. The Van Cott brothers, Ian and Alex, then clinched 6-2 on court two over Tom Hill and Stefan Menichella.
In singles, No. 111 Sebastian Rey continued to set the tone with a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory over Gabriel Sidney on court four. The No. 1 player in the nation, Dominik Koepfer, then followed suit with a decisive 6-2, 6-2, win on court one vs. Menichella. Jao then clinched over on court six, defeating Jack Van Slyke, 6-3, 6-2
"In singles, we were up a break or more on all six matches within the first 15 minutes so that kept the momentum rolling," Booras added. "Pepperdine kept on fighting and turned it around on some of the courts but our guys stayed focused and closed well to finish them off."
Now, in order to be one of the 15 teams across the country to qualify for the National Indoor Championships, the Green Wave will have to knock off No. 8 USC, who defeated No. 57 UC Davis this afternoon. That match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT.
"There was a lot of good energy from both teams today and I liked how our guys stayed focused with their emotions and tactics throughout the match," Booras concluded. "We'll need to turn right around and do the same tomorrow to put ourselves in a good position to be successful."
Be sure to check back in at www.TulaneGreenWave.com for complete results of the ITA Kickoff Weekend and follow the men's tennis team on Twitter for instant reaction: @GreenWaveMTenn.
Green Wave Results:
#37 Tulane 4, #33 Pepperdine 0
Singles competition
1. #1 Dominik Koepfer (TLN) def. Stefan Menichella (PU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Pedro Iamachkine (PU) vs. #63 Constantin Schmitz (TLN) 1-6, 5-5, unfinished
3. Lautaro Pane (PU) vs. Alex Van Cott (TLN) 6-2, 3-5, unfinished
4. #111 Sebastian Rey (TLN) def. Gabriel Sidney (PU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Tom Hill (PU) vs. Nikolas Tukic (TLN) 2-6, 2-4, unfinished
6. Chi-Shan Jao (TLN) def. Jack Van Slyke (PU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #17 Chi-Shan Jao/Dominik Koepfer (TLN) def. Pedro Iamachkine/Lautaro Pane (PU) 6-2
2. Ian Van Cott/Alex Van Cott (TLN) def. Tom Hill/Stefan Menichella (PU) 6-2
3. Jack Van Slyke/Gabriel Sidney (PU) vs. Constantin Schmitz/Sebastian Rey (TLN) 4-5, unfinished
Players Mentioned
