Pepperdine Men’s Tennis lost 2-4 after a three-game winning streak to No. 7 Columbia University at home March 13. The Waves now fall to 5-7 on the season.
The Waves set the tone by winning the doubles point 2-1.
“I think we saved some match points there; it was back and forth,” freshman Edward Winter said.” The guys on the side [cheering] really brought it, and it was fun.”
On court one, graduate student Chris Papa and sophomore Maxi Homberg started off strong with a lot of energy and communication but lost in the last two sets to the Lions.
On court two, graduate student George Davis and sophomore Linus Carlsson Halldin had a steady lead over their opponents for the entire match. Although the Lions had a slight comeback, winning a total of three sets, the Waves won 6-3.
“It felt good,” Halldin said. “We’ve been having good momentum in doubles, and it’s fun to keep going along.”
The point came down to court three with Winter and senior Pietro Fellin. The Waves started off slow but were able to come back and win a tied set for the doubles point.
“I think it was a good start for us,” Winter said. “I think, for me personally, I had a bit of a slow start but was able to come back and give us a chance to win that.”
For singles, Halldin dominated in two sets with scores 6-4 and 6-3. He had high energy to keep the lead and finish with a point for the Waves.
“It was big as I lost to the same guy last year in a big battle, so it was nice to get back on him this year,” Halldin said.
Davis and freshman Zach Stephens both lost in two sets against their Lion opponents. Stephens had a battle in the first set but fell short in the second, unable to stay in the match.
Winter had a close game but lost in the third set 6-3. His opponent had strong runs that brought the point home for Columbia.
“I just needed to trust my game, and ultimately, runs are what got me going,” Winter said.
The last two waves to play had heated matches to finish the day.
Fellin had an intense match with high emotions. The scores were close with 6-7 the first set and 7-5 the second. Before the end of the set, the final team point went to the Lions, so Fellin’s match was left unfinished.
“The energy we brought was great,” Winter said. “The intensity was great; the discipline was great.”
On court eight, junior Robert Shelton started with a 6-3 set win but fell short in the second set. The third set started off close, but his opponent spread the lead to win the last set 3-6. The final score was 2-4 for a Lions win overall.
“This was a tough loss, but overall, I think we competed hard as a team, and we’re looking forward to Harvard,” Halldin said.
The Waves beat No. 55 Yale University 4-0 at home March 11.
Men’s Tennis then competed again at home March 15, against No. 10 Harvard University and lost 1-4. Fellin defeated his opponent in two sets with scores 6-2 and 6-4 for a point in singles.
For the Waves’ fourth match of the week, they played No. 2 Texas Christian University at home March 17, and lost 0-4.
Recently, the Waves defeated University of Washington 4-3 and Gonzaga University 4-0. Their following match is also at home March 30, against San Diego at 12 p.m.
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Email Megan Harkey: megan.harkey@pepperdine.edu
