AUSTIN, Texas – Making its first program appearance in the postseason as an at-large selection, the No. 39 UTSA Roadrunners men's tennis team (18-6) is set to open NCAA Regional competition on Saturday against the No. 32 Pepperdine Waves at the Texas Tennis Center. UTSA and Pepperdine will meet for the first time in a dual match format during Saturday's NCAA First Round in the Austin Regional hosted by No. 1 overall seed Texas.
The Roadrunners are looking to add some more accolades to their already historic season. At 18-6, this is the most successful UTSA team since 2015, and the Roadrunners have registered the most wins since 1985 – with 18 being the third-most season wins in program history. Along the way, UTSA also went undefeated from Feb. 17 to April 23, producing a phenomenal 14-match win streak that topped the nation at the time. Ranking as high as a program-best No. 34 this season, UTSA has been ranked in the top 50 for 12 consecutive weeks.
This weekend marks the program's fifth appearance in the NCAA Championships – the first since 2015 – and the fourth time UTSA has been assigned to the Austin Regional.
The Roadrunners are coming off the program's second appearance in the Conference USA title match, finishing as runner-up to Middle Tennessee – with both teams as the conference's only representation in NCAA postseason team play this season.
Kicking off the Austin Regional, UTSA will line up on Saturday morning vs. Pepperdine at 10:00 a.m. at UT's Texas Tennis Center. It is the first time the programs will meet as full teams, but they have seen each other recently on opposite benches. During the unprecedented run for Alan Magadan and Sebastian Rodriguez to the ITA Doubles National Quarterfinal in the fall, the pair faced Pepperdine's Daniel De Jonge and Tim Zeitvogel in the round of 16, edging out the Waves' duo in three sets (7-5, 3-6, 10-6). De Jonge and Zeitvogel now rank 64th in the latest ITA doubles standings.
Fourth-year head coach Sergey Avdeyev is fresh off receiving his first Conference USA Coach of the Year honor in leading this Roadrunners team. In addition, Magadan and sophomore Tiago Torres both garnered All-C-USA first-team honors in singles, while Magadan and Rodriguez were on the All-C-USA first team for doubles – the duo were also selected to represent UTSA in two weeks at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships on the USTA Campus in Orlando, Fla. - the first pair to receive such a selection.
A junior from McAllen, Texas, Magadan has led the Roadrunners in wins during his debut season, posting a 14-7 record in dual competition – primarily on court No. 2 where he has produced an 11-4 output. He reeled off 10 consecutive singles wins from Feb. 18 to March 19 and is 7-2 in his last 10 matches. Magadan has eight match-clinching wins this year, with a pair of triumphs when the score was 3-all.
Only the third UTSA player to be named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team, Danijal Muminovic has also been a big producer for UTSA on the fifth court, racking up a 13-7 record (9-3 on five). Generated an 11-match win streak this season, garnering key solo wins to help UTSA to ranked victories over No. 54 Old Dominion, No. 28 VCU and No. 59 FAU.
Playing mostly on three, UTSA's lone senior Rodriguez has accrued an 11-5 record. Rodriguez produced notable singles wins that helped UTSA toward six ranked victories. In the Conference USA Championships, he scored the match-tying point of the semifinals with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 singles comeback past Nicolas Acevedo, setting up UTSA to best No. 59 FAU.
On the doubles side, Magadan proved dangerous when paired with Torres in the top court, registering a 9-3 record as a pair – with a 6-1 record in their last eight outings. At C-USA, the duo notched a key doubles win over 83rd-ranked Nicolas Acevedo and Kevin Huempfner to help UTSA move toward the doubles point in the eventual 4-3 win over the 59th-ranked Owls in the semifinal. They also garnered doubles victories to aid UTSA to a regular season win over No. 53 FAU, as well as wins in ranked UTSA victories against No. 66 Wichita State and No. 49 Texas A&M – earning a 6-3 doubles win against No. 71 Rice on the top court.
On doubles court No. 2, Rodriguez has paired with freshman Tomás Pinho and delivered stellar results. Accounting for a 9-1 record, the pair secured a key 6-3 victory over VCU's 57th-ranked Matisse Bobichon/Rayane Stable and were 3-1 against Conference USA opposition (including the tournament) - ahead 4-3 at drop time against No. 27 Middle Tennessee's pair in the C-USA final. This duo secured doubles wins in ranked UTSA victories over No. 53 Florida Atlantic, No. 66 Wichita State, No. 54 Old Dominion, No. 28 VCU and again No. 59 Florida Atlantic. Pinho and Rodriguez clinched the doubles point for UTSA in seven matches on the season.
Regional Opponents
Pepperdine
The Waves are 18-8 this season and champions out of the West Coast Conference after knocking out third-seed Santa Clara and top-seeded San Diego - Pepperdine and USD shared the regular season WCC title. The No. 32 Waves are appearing in their third consecutive NCAA Championships and have an extensive history of postseason play.
The familiar Pepperdine ranked pair will also be heading to Orlando, but as singles players with De Jonge ranked 69th and Zeitvogel is 107th. De Jonge is 13-7 this season on the top two courts, including a 3-6 ranked record – he has won his last nine straight. Zeitvogel is 10-6, also on the top two courts, sporting a 4-8 nationally ranked record and a two-match win streak. However, it's German freshman Maxi Homberg that's pacing the Waves, playing primarily on No. 5 he's got a 17-6 dual record. In doubles, Homberg partners with Eero Vasa on two for a 13-5 team-best record. On three, Pietro Fellin and Linus Halldin are 12-2.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Steeped with the tall task of opening up against the No. 1 overall seed, the Islanders are 20-7 after sweeping through the Southland Conference Championships, including a thrilling 4-3 win over top-seeded New Orleans. Making their third NCAA appearance in the last four playable years, TAMU-CC has won its last nine. Both the men's and women's teams are in the Austin Regional and both are facing Texas.
Senior Pascal Lorieul was SLC Tournament MVP and has a 15-8 record primarily on No. 2, but seniors Nathan Schwartz and Matthieu Peres are making big impacts with 18 wins apiece on No. 4 and No. 3, respectively. Holding the top court, junior Avery Zavala also has a 15-8 record. Pacing the Islanders in doubles, Zavala and Pascral hold a 16-3 record on No. 1, claiming victory in their last 12 matches.
Texas
The Longhorns have been the nation's No. 1 team for five consecutive weeks and enter the weekend with a 22-3 record. UT saw a 12-match win streak snapped in the Big 12 Championships final on a 5-2 setback to now-second-ranked TCU. The Longhorns' win streak was all against ranked teams and UT has 20 ranked victories overall. This is UT's 31st consecutive NCAA appearance.
The Longhorns are led by No. 1 court singles player and No. 1 overall player in the country, junior Eliot Spizzirri. The Big 12 Player of the Year from Connecticut, Spizzirri is 19-1 this spring in dual matches and has been the top-ranked player since Feb. 8 - earning a 24-1 record against ranked singles in 2022-23. Holding down court five, junior Cleeve Harper is 13-6 this spring. They have teamed up for a 15-9 No. 1 doubles record and a first-team Big 12 nod – as well as a No. 3 national ranking. Pierre-Yves Bailly is also 12-7 on court two and teams up with Siem Woldeab for a No. 2 court-focused record of 12-7.
On the NCAA Championships Schedule
Saturday, May 6 – First Round
10:00 a.m. - No. 32 Pepperdine vs. No. 39 UTSA
1:00 p.m. - No. 1 Texas vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Sunday, May 7 – Second Round
1:00 p.m. – UTSA/Pepperdine winner vs. Texas/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi winner
Keeping up with the Coverage
Texas Athletics will be providing full court video coverage on its Live Stream
Keep up with Live Results
Fan Information
Tickets
Admission for all matches during the NCAA First and Second Rounds at the Texas Tennis Center will be free.
Parking
Paid parking is available in the East Campus Garage.
Clear Bag Policy
The Texas Tennis Center is a clear bag facility. For full information, visit TexasSports.com/Clearbag.
Inclement Weather
In the case of inclement weather, matches will be moved indoors to the Edgar O. & Melanie A. Weller Tennis Center at the University of Texas Golf Club. Fans will be permitted to attend matches that are moved indoors.
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