Pepperdine University’s men’s tennis team has been ranked No. 2 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) preseason poll, as announced by the conference. The Waves also had four players named to the six-member All-WCC Preseason Team.
Senior Maxi Homberg, junior Edward Winter, sophomore Lasse Poertner, and freshman Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida represent Pepperdine on the preseason team. Pepperdine and San Diego accounted for all six selections.
Homberg returns after earning All-WCC First Team honors in singles and Second Team recognition in doubles last season. He was an ITA All-American in singles during the fall and won the ITA Sectionals Singles title, securing a spot in the NCAA tournament. Homberg finished with a 15-14 record and achieved a career-high ITA ranking of No. 36.
Poertner earned his place on the preseason team following a debut season that included All-WCC Second Team honors in singles. He led Pepperdine with a 16-6 singles record and a 17-5 mark in doubles during dual matches last year. Poertner contributed key wins during postseason play, including at the WCC Tournament and against Alabama in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.
Ribeiro de Almeida is noted as the only freshman on this year’s preseason list. In three fall events for Pepperdine, he posted a 6-3 singles record after joining from Brazil where he held an ITF Junior ranking as high as No. 41.
Winter begins his junior year having been named to the All-WCC First Team in singles for two consecutive seasons. He also received First Team Doubles honors last year and was previously recognized as WCC Freshman of the Year and ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year.
The Waves concluded their previous campaign with a 17-11 overall record, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.
In addition to their conference ranking, Pepperdine entered this season at No. 23 nationally according to recent ITA rankings released earlier this week. The team will start its spring schedule with a home match against Florida Atlantic University on January 18 at noon.
San Diego leads this year’s WCC preseason poll with 48 points, followed by Pepperdine at 44 points.
According to historical records, Pepperdine men’s tennis has claimed one NCAA Championship (2006), multiple national titles dating back to its NAIA days (1952), and boasts numerous individual champions including Robbie Weiss (NCAA singles champion in 1988). The program holds 44 WCC titles and has participated in forty NCAA Tournaments over its history.
