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28 | January 25, 2018 | Malibu surfside news Sports
malibusurfsidenews.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Matt Miller
Matt Miller, 15, is a sophomore who plays
guard for Malibu boys basketball.
How did you first get into
basketball?
I first started playing when I was in elementary
school but I was never serious
about it. In middle school, I started to get
serious about basketball and grew away
from playing multiple sports and focused
on basketball.
What are you most looking forward
to this season?
I’m looking forward to our team’s success.
I think we have a lot of potential and
can compete with good teams we may have
to face in CIF.
What do you like about going to
school in Malibu?
I like how I know almost everyone in my
grade and play basketball with many of the
people I’m friends with.
Is there one area you’re most looking
to improve your game this year?
I really want to work on my defense. It’s
the weakest part of my game to me. I know
that there are going to be situations where
I’m going to be guarding someone one on
one and I need to get a stop. I don’t feel
like I can do that consistently where I can
always be trusted in defense.
Did you have a favorite player
growing up?
I’ve been a fan of Kevin Durant since before
he won MVP. I think his ability to do
almost everything on the court is amazing.
I also like Chris Paul and how he is great
all around player and makes his teammates
better.
What are your hobbies outside of
Photo Submitted
basketball?
I really enjoy traveling. It’s fun to experience
new places and different cultures.
Where in the world would you most
like to travel?
It would be awesome to go to Europe.
My family and I are trying to go in a few
years.
How do you like playing for coach
Richard Harris?
I enjoy playing for him. I really like how
he wants us to win and become better players.
Do you have any game day rituals
or superstitions?
Not really, I just try to be focused on the
game.
What’s your favorite subject in
school?
I have always liked history. I think it
connects to the reason I like traveling. I
love to learn about places. I also find geography
very interesting.
Interview by Freelance Reporter Ryan Flynn
Pepperdine Athletics
Women’s tennis repeats as conference favorite
The sixth-ranked Pepperdine
women’s tennis team
was selected as the West
Coast Conference favorite
for the fourth consecutive
year, the league office announced
on Jan. 17.
Four from the women’s
team and one from the
men’s team were also selected
to the All-WCC Preseason
teams.
The women were selected
unanimously to finish
first by the conference
coaches. The Waves collected
81 points to take
the top spot, a year after
winning their fifth straight
WCC Championship
and 13th title in the last
15 years. The team also
advanced to the NCAA
tournament for the 30thstraight
season.
Seniors Laura Gulbe and
Mayar Sherif, junior Luisa
Stefani and sophomore
Ashley Lahey are represented
on the seven-person
All-WCC Preseason team.
This season, Lahey is
ranked 28th nationally with
a 9-1 overall record, including
a 3-1 record against nationally
ranked opposition.
Sherif ranks 31st and has
posted a 9-4 record with a
3-2 record against nationally
ranked competition.
Gulbe is ranked 57th and
has gone 11-5 this season
for the Waves thus far, including
an even 2-2 record
against ranked opponents.
Stefani did not play last fall
for Pepperdine, but has returned
for the spring. Last
season, she went 26-10
overall and 15-6 against
ranked opponents to reach
a career-high ranking of
No. 2 throughout the season.
Pedro Iamachkine was
also selected to the All-
WCC Preseason Team for
the men. Iamachkine went
1-2 in the fall to open the
2017-18 campaign. Last
season, he produced a 21-
11 overall record and a
13-7 record in dual action.
Pepperdine was picked
to finish second after a solid
runner-up performance
in the WCC Championship
final last season. In the
last 13 seasons, the Waves
have won the WCC title 10
times dating back to 2003-
10 and 2012-13. The team
finished as runners-up in
the conference tournament
last season, after putting in
a big run for the crown.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Waves compete at Hawai’i
Invitational
The women’s tennis
team opened the Hawai’i
Invitational at the UH Tennis
Complex on Jan. 17,
winning all six singles
matches by two-set decisions.
Luisa Stefani made her
junior-debut with a twoset
win (6-2, 6-4) over
seventh-ranked Samantha
Harris of ninth-ranked
Duke.
Also winning singles
matches were Pepperdine’s
Ashley Lahey,
Mayar Sherif, Dzina
Milovanovic, Laura Gulbe
and Evgeniya Levashova.
On the doubles side,
Waves Lahey and Adrijana
Lekaj defeated Klara Pribylova/Nikola
Dolakova (of
Hawaii) 6-2, Duke’s Harris
and Kelly Chen defeated
Pepperdine’s Levashova
and Milovanovic 7-5, and
Duke’s Kaitlyn McCarthy
and Ellyse Hamlin beat
Waves Luisa Stefani and
Sherif 6-4.
The tournament between
Pepperdine, Hawai’i and
Duke was in a round-robin
format, featuring a series
of singles and doubles
matches played over two
days.
SWIM AND DIVE
Sneden named Athlete of
the Week
After a strong performance
at the Lions Cup
the weekend prior, Julia
Sneden, of the women’s
swim and dive team, was
named the Pacific Collegiate
Swim and Dive Conference
Athlete of the Week
on Jan. 16. It is her second
such honor this year.
Sneden was Pepperdine’s
top scorer at the
Lions Cup, earning 41.5
points total. She placed
first in two of her three
individual events, swimming
the 200 individual
medley in 2 minutes, 13.16
seconds and the 100 fly in
58.62 seconds. Additionally,
she placed second in the
100 IM, swimming a personal
best time of 1:01.50,
which also took second
place in the Pepperdine
women’s record book. In
addition, she was on the
first-place medley relay
team, swam a 54.73 leg
of the 400-free relay and
helped all five Pepperdine
relays place in the Top 3.
She is Pepperdine’s first
two-time winner of the
award this season, and
joins Taylor Basin and
Amy Griffin, who won the
award on Dec. 6 and Oct.
10, respectively.
Information from Pepperdine
University and www.pep
perdinewaves.com. Compiled
by Editor Lauren Coughlin,
lauren@malibusurfsidenews.
com.