SMU Tennis Beats Pepperdine

{fshare id=6109}

MALIBU, Calif. (SMU) – The SMU men’s tennis team won its fifth consecutive match, defeating Pepperdine 4-0 in Malibu, California, on Tuesday night. SMU is now 14-2 on the season, with eight shutout victories.

SMU’s 14-2 record is the program’s best mark through 16 matches since 2001, when head coach Carl Neufeld guided the team to a 15-1 start on its way to a 24-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA semifinals.

The Mustangs won the opening doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Senior Arturs Kazijevs and sophomore Markus Kerner beat No. 79 Guilherme Hadlich and Rakshay Thakkar, 6-1. Sophomore Arkadijs Slobodkins and junior Nate Lammons clinched the point with a 6-2 win over Stefan Menichella and Alexander Solonin at No. 2. SMU has now won the opening doubles point in all 13 opportunities this season.

Lammons, who entered the ITA national singles rankings at No. 110 earlier in the day, gave SMU a 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles over Tom Hill.

Kerner, who was named Player of the Week by the American Athletic Conference on

Tuesday morning, improved his record when playing at No. 1 to 4-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Menichella. Freshman Samm Butler earned the match-clinching point for the Mustangs with a 7-6, 6-0 win at No. 3 over Thakkar.

Kazijevs won the first set in his unfinished match at No. 2 singles over Hadlich. Sophomore Tony Russell (No. 5) and Slobodkins (No. 6) also competed in singles.

SMU climbed up the ITA rankings on Tuesday, moving 20 positions up to No. 47 in the nation. Pepperdine (7-5) is currently ranked 49th in the nation. Lammons, who is nationally ranked in singles for the first time in his collegiate career, improved to 11-2 this spring. Lammons and Slobodkins extended their undefeated streak in doubles this spring, holding a 10-0 record overall. Butler boosted his singles record to 14-1, including his 11th win at the No. 3 spot. Butler has not lost a singles match since Jan. 31.

The Mustangs will continue their west-coast road swing with a match at Cal Poly on Friday at 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT.