Match Notes

STANFORD, Calif. – The University of Hawai`i men's tennis team is back in action this weekend with opening two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. The Rainbow Warriors face Pepperdine in a first-round match Saturday, May 15, 9:00 a.m. PT (6:00 a.m. HT), at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.

 

Host Stanford (18-5) will face Quinnipiac (10-6), the Northeastern Conference champions, in the site's other first-round match. The winners advance to the second round on Sunday, May 16 at 12:00 p.m. PT (9:00 a.m. HT).

 

UH will face Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three years. The Rainbow Warriors lost to the Waves in the first-round of the 2008 tournament.

 

The Rainbow Warriors (12-7) are making their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. UH advanced to the NCAA second round last year, defeating No. 20 Oklahoma State, before falling to eventual NCAA semifinalist UCLA. UH, winners of five of its last six matches, earned another automatic berth into this year's tournament following its 4-3 win over Fresno State in the Western Athletic Conference title match on May 2.

 

The Rainbow Warriors are currently at No. 37 in the latest ITA rankings, a program high. UH is led by all-conference selections Dennis Lajola, Andreas Weber and Leo Rosenberg. The triohave combined for a 43-14 dual record, including an 18-1 mark by Rosenberg. Lajola is ranked No. 113 in singles, while Weber and partner Philipp Eberhard are No. 78 in doubles.

 

Pepperdine (16-10) is ranked No. 21 in the latest ITA rankings. Pepperdine gained an automatic bid after winning their 20th straight West Coast Conference title. The Waves have won 10 of their last 11 matches and boast two ranked singles players in No. 32 Bassam Beidas and No. 70 Sebastian Fanselow.

 

No. 7 Stanford earned the No. 8 overall seed and is one of 16 seeded teams earning the right to host NCAA Regionals after winning a share of the Pac-10 regular season title. UH lost to the Cardinal, 6-1, in a regular-season match at Stanford on Feb. 6. Quinnipiac, out of Hamden, Conn., will be making their fourth tournament appearance in the last seven years.

 

First- and second-round competition will be conducted, May 14-16, with the winner of each site advancing to the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., held May 21-25.