The Pepperdine University men’s tennis team upset undefeated Georgia, 4-2, Tuesday night to claim the team’s first national championship. The win capped off a magical season for the Waves in which the team lost only two matches and won a school record 36.
“To beat a team like Georgia which had been undefeated all year, and the depth of college tennis today, this is incredible,” head coach Adam Steinberg said after the match. “We knew that everything was against us. Everyone thought Georgia was going to win, but sitting up here now is… words can’t express how I feel now. I love my team.”
Georgia was one of only two schools that defeated Pepperdine during the regular season. The other was the University of Texas, which the Waves beat in the national semifinals.
Pepperdine senior Ivor Lovrak was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.
Look for more information about the championship, including interviews with the coaches and players, later this week on this Web site and in the June 1 print edition of The Malibu Times.