MALIBU, Calif. – Following an impressive road win against a ranked opponent Saturday at Loyola Marymount, the Portland men's tennis team ran into another top-level squad and came up short against No. 53 Pepperdine, 4-0.
The Pilots (13-7, 4-3 WCC) had to overcome some extra adversity losing No. 1 singles player Michail Pervolarakis to an injury in doubles play that prevented him from taking the court in singles action.
"We didn't have a great showing today," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "Pepperdine is a tough team to beat even at full strength on their home court, but when Mike Pervolarakis went down with an injury and wasn't able to play singles, that stacked the odds against us even more. All credit to Pepperdine though, they played well."
The Waves (10-8, 4-1) secured the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to grab the early momentum.
Pepperdine then took advantage in singles play as all Pilots moved up a slot in the lineup and recorded straight set wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 singles. Pilot freshman Carlos Donat was up a set and 2-1 in the second at No. 5 singles when the match was clinched for the Waves.
"Of course I'd like to have another shot at them at the conference tournament on a neutral court with both teams at full strength," Gross noted. "There is a lot of tennis to play between now and then, so I'm not sure if that will happen, but it is definitely a motivation. The bright spot was that our two freshmen once again played well despite moving up a spot. It won't show up in the final score but Carlos was up a set and a break and Felix (Fan) just lost the first 7-6 and was in a battle."
Portland will return home next weekend to conclude the regular season with a pair of crucial WCC matches. The Pilots host Saint Mary's on Saturday at noon and then Pacific on Sunday at 10 a.m. Both matches will have live video and stats available at PortlandPilots.com.
#53 Pepperdine 4, Portland 0
Malibu, Calif. (Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)
April 10, 2016
Singles
1. HADLICH, Guilherme (PEP) vs. GARCIA, Mathieu (POR) 6-4, 3-1, unfinished
2. PANE, Lautaro (PEP) def. GARCIA, Pierre (POR) 6-2, 6-1
3. MENICHELLA, Stefan (PEP) def. WALLACE, Alex (POR) 6-1, 6-4
4. VAN SLYKE, Jack (PEP) vs. FAN, Felix (POR) 7-6 (7-3), 1-0, unfinished
5. SIDNEY, Gabriel (PEP) vs. DONAT, Carlos (POR) 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
6. IAMACHKINE, Pedro (PEP) def. SUNDARAM, Goutham (POR) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. HADLICH /PANE, Lautaro (PEP) vs. PERVOLARAKIS, Mike/GARCIA, Mathieu (POR) 3-4, unfinished
2. SIDNEY, Gabriel/IAMACHKINE, Pedro (PEP) def. ANDREASEN, Kent/WALLACE, Alex (POR) 6-3
3. HILL, Tom/VAN SLYKE, Jack (PEP) def. FAN, Felix/DONAT, Carlos (POR) 6-3
Match Notes:
Portland 13-7, 4-3 WCC
Pepperdine 10-8, 4-1 WCC; National ranking #53
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,2,3)
