Pepperdine coach Adam Steinberg said the odds were stacked against his team, but the Waves overcame them with a win against Georgia in the title match of the Division I Men’s Tennis Championships.

“To beat a team like Georgia, which had been undefeated all year, and the depth of college tennis today, this is incredible,” Steinberg said. “This is a dream come true. To win Pepperdine’s first national (men’s tennis) championship ever, with all the great players and the great tradition and the great teams that coach (Allen) Fox had in the 1980s ... and to come here to the finals and win it for a small school like ours, it means the world to me and the guys.”

The Waves were strong out of the gate in their first championship-match appearance since 1986, capturing the doubles point with victories from the No. 1 doubles team of Andre Begemann and Scott Doerner over Georgia’s John Isner and Antonio Ruiz, 9-7, and the No. 2 doubles team, Ivor Lovrak and Pedro Rico, who defeated Georgia’s Luis Flores and Matic Omerzel, 8-5.

Pepperdine continued to rack up the points when singles play opened, with No. 6 player Omar Altmann defeating Ricardo Gonzalez, 7-5, 6-1, and Lovrak at the No. 3 spot tallying a victory over Antonio Ruiz, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.

But the tide started to turn when Georgia’s John Isner beat Pepperdine’s Scott Doerner at the No. 1 singles position, 7-6, 6-4, and Colin Purcell won at No. 5 over the Waves’ Richard Johnson, 7-5, 7-6.

Only No. 4 and No. 2 singles play continued at that point, and both matches were into a third set. Pepperdine sophomore Andre Begemann finally hit the winning shot at the fourth position and was immediately overwhelmed by the moment.

“At match point, I felt this tingling in my back,” he said. “I was thinking I could make history, but I had to focus. I knew I wanted to make my serve and then come in for a shot. After that, I was overwhelmed. It didn’t really hit me. I still can’t believe it.”

With Begemann’s victory, the Waves finished the season 36-2, the most victories for an NCAA champion since the team championship format began in 1977. Pepperdine’s only two losses came earlier in the season to Georgia and Texas — they beat both teams in the NCAA tournament.

Pepperdine’s Lovrak was named the most outstanding performer of the tournament. He lost only one match at the No. 3 position all year.

Georgia also finished a banner year, establishing its longest winning streak since 1971 with a 30-1 season. The Bulldogs lost a key player to injury during the tournament — senior Strahinja Bobusic — and coach Manual Diaz said he thought the loss would be difficult to overcome.

“In many ways I felt this team overachieved during the tournament,” Diaz said. “When Strahy got hurt, I thought we’d have a hard time winning another match. I don’t have any regrets, and the players don’t. They left everything on the court. We didn’t lose because we played poorly. Pepperdine is a deserving champion.”

In the individual portion of the championships, UCLA’s Benjamin Kohlleoffel won the singles title over Virginia’s Somdev Dewarman, 6-1, 6-4, becoming the first UCLA player to win the singles title since his coach, Billy Martin, in 1975. In doubles competition, Illinois’ Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe defeated Pepperdine’s Andre Begemann and Scott Doerner, 6-2, 6-4. An Illinois pairing last won the doubles title in 2003.

Round of 16

Georgia 4, Notre Dame 0; Virginia 4, Miami (Fla.) 0; North Carolina 4, Clemson 1; Ohio St. 4, Arkansas 0; Mississippi 4, Florida St. 2; Texas 4, Rice 0; Stanford 4, Duke 0; Baylor 4, Washington 1; UCLA 4, Illinois 2; Pepperdine 4, Florida 0.

Quarterfinals

Georgia 4, Virginia 0; Texas 4, Ohio St. 3; Baylor 4, Stanford 3; Pepperdine 4, UCLA 1.

Semifinals

Georgia 4, Baylor 3, Pepperdine 4, Texas 1.

Championship match

Pepperdine 4, Georgia 2

Doubles: No. 1 — Andre Begemann-Scott Doerner, Pepperdine, def. John Isner-Antonio Ruiz, Georgia, 9-7; No. 2 — Ivor Lovrak-Pedro Rico, Pepperdine, def. Luis Flores-Matic Omerzel, Georgia, 8-5; No. 3 — suspended.

Singles: No. 1 — Isner, Georgia, def. Doerner, Pepperdine, 7-6, 6-4; No. 2 — suspended; No. 3 — Lovrak, Pepperdine, def. Ruiz, Georgia, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4; No. 4 — Begemann, Pepperdine, def. Omerzel, Georgia, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4; No. 5 — Colin Purcell, Georgia, def. Richard Johnson, Pepperdine, 7-5, 7-6; No. 6 — Omar Altmann, Pepperdine, def. Ricardo Gonzalez, Georgia, 7-5, 6-1.

Individual champions

Singles: Benjamin Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Somdev Devvarman, Virginia, 6-1, 6-4.

Doubles: Kevin Anderson-Ryan Rowe, Illinois, def. Andre Begemann-Scott Doerner, Pepperdine, 6-2, 6-4.

For complete results, see The NCAA News online at www.ncaa.org.

Individual results

Singles

First round: Benjamin Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Vladimir Obradovic, Florida, 6-2, 6-4; Eric Molnar, Colorado, def. Brandon Wai, Yale, 6-3, 6-1; Pierrick Ysern, San Diego, def. Jerry Makowski, Texas A&M, 6-3, 6-3; Joseph Jung, Alabama, def. Adrian Prpic, Texas Tech, 6-3, 7-5; Conor Niland, California, def. Stephen Bass, Notre Dame, 6-1, 6-3; Rylan Rizza, Virginia, def. Slavko Radman, Louisville, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; Robert Searle, Rice, def. Daniel Byrnes, Oklahoma St., 6-2, 3-0, Ret.; Callum Beale, Texas, def. Andreas Siljestrom, Middle Tenn., 6-2, 6-4; Pedro Rico, Pepperdine, def. Lars Poerschke, Baylor, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5; Adrians Zguns, Arkansas, def. Ytai Abougzir, Florida St., 6-4, 6-4; Matt Bruch, Stanford, def. Andrei Mlendea, TCU, 7-5, 5-7, 6-1; Erling Tveit, Mississippi, def. Peter Oredsson, Southern Methodist, 6-1, 6-4; Travis Helgeson, Texas, def. Arnar Sigurdsson, Pacific, 6-3, 6-2; Ken Skupski, LSU, def. Bryan Koniecko, Ohio St., 7-6(6), 7-6(5); Ryler DeHeart, Illinois, def. Luis Flores, Georgia, 6-1, 7-5; Todd Paul, Wake Forest, def. Luke Shields, Boise St., 6-4, 6-2; KC Corkery, Stanford, def. Raul Morant-Rivas, Texas, A&M-Corp. Chris., 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Arnaud Lecloerec, Va. Commonwealth, def. Federico Ueltschi, Montana St., 7-6(0), 6-3; Jakub Cech, Fresno St., def. Eric Claesson, Mississippi, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Arnau Brugues, Tulsa, def. Arvid Puranen, Virginia Tech, 7-6(4), 6-3; Clement Reix, Clemson, def. Matt Baccarani, Ball St., 6-4, 6-4; Harel Srugo, Old Dominion, def. Raian Luchici, North Carolina, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-0; Kevin Anderson, Illinois, def. Alex Hume, Kentucky, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; Luigi D’Agord, Miami (Fla.), def. Alex Skrypko, Southern Methodist, 6-1, 6-2; Martin Sayer, Radford, def. Marcus Echtler, Stetson, 7-6(8), 6-3; Somdev Devvarman, Virginia, def. Matko Maravic, Michigan, 6-4, 6-0; Greg Ouellette, Florida, def. Alex Slovic, Washington, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4); Ludovic Walter, Duke, def. Michal Kokta, Baylor, 4-1, Ret.; Ryan Preston, Vanderbilt, def. Roy Sichel, Charlotte, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; Sheeva Parbhu, Notre Dame, def. Scott Doerner, Pepperdine, 7-5, 6-0; Roger Matalonga, Arizona, def. Roger Gubser, Texas, 6-4, 6-4; John Isner, Georgia, def. D.J. Geatz, Minnesota, 7-5, 6-3.

Second round: Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Molnar, Colorado, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Ysern, San Diego, def. Jung, Alabama, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4; Niland, California, def. Rizza, Virginia, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3; Beale, Texas, def. Searle, Rice, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Zguns, Arkansas, def. Rico, Pepperdine, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Tveit, Mississippi, def. Bruch, Stanford, 7-6, 7-5; Helgeson, Texas, def. Skupski, LSU, 7-6, 3-0, Ret.; DeHeart, Illinois, def. Paul, Wake Forest, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3; Corkery, Stanford, def. Lecloerec, Va. Commonwealth, 6-1, 6-3; Brugues, Tulsa, def. Cech, Fresno St., 6-3, 6-4; Reix, Clemson, def. Srugo, Old Dominion, 6-3, 6-4; D’Agord, Miami (Fla.), def. Anderson, Illinois, 7-6, 6-3; Devvarman, Virginia, def. Sayer, Radford, 6-4, 6-0; Walter, Duke, def. Ouellette, Florida, 7-6, 2-6, 7-5; Parbhu, Notre Dame, def. Preston, Vanderbilt, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; Matalonga, Arizona, def. Isner, Georgia, 7-6, 6-4.

Round of 16: Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Ysern, San Diego, 6-2, 6-1; Niland, California, def. Beale, Texas, 6-2, 6-0; Tveit, Mississippi, def. Zguns, Arkansas, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Helgeson, Texas, def. DeHeart, Illinois, 6-2, 6-4; Corkery, Stanford, def. Brugues, Tulsa, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Reix, Clemson, def. D’Agord, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 6-4; Devvarman, Virginia, def. Walter, Duke, 6-2, 6-3; Parbhu, Notre Dame, def. Matalonga, Arizona, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Quarterfinals: Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Niland, California, 6-4, 6-2; Tveit, Mississippi, def. Helgeson, Texas, 7-6, 6-4; Corkery, Stanford, def. Reix, Clemson, 7-5, 6-2; Devvarman, Virginia, def. Parbhu, Notre Dame, 6-1, 6-3.

Semifinals: Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Tveit, Mississippi, 6-3, 6-1; Devvarman, Virginia, def. Corkery, Stanford, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Championship: Kohlloeffel, UCLA, def. Devvarman, Virginia, 6-1, 6-4.

Doubles

First round: Joey Atas-Jonathan Stokke, Duke, def. Scott Green-Ross Wilson, Ohio St., 7-5, 3-6, 6-3; Ytai Abougzir-Chris Westerhof, Florida St., def. Michal Kokta-Lars Poerschke, Baylor, 7-6, 7-5; Nick Meythaler-Rylan Rizza, Virginia, def. Ryan Keckley-Eric Langenkamp, Notre Dame, 6-0, 6-4; Rafael Abreu-Jordan Freitas, TCU, def. Thomas Liversage-Pierrick Ysern, San Diego, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Kevin Anderson-Ryan Rowe, Illinois, def. KC Corkery-James Pade, Stanford, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4; Strahinja Bobusic-Colin Purcell, Georgia, def. Jeremy Clark-Jakob Gustafsson, Louisville, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Callum Beale-Miguel Reyes Varela, Texas, def. Eric Claesson-Erling Tveit, Mississippi, 6-3, 6-4; Brian Hung-Matko Maravic, Michigan, def. Thomas Schoeck-Luke Shields, Boise St., 6-3, 6-4; Pramod Dabir-Ryler DeHeart, Illinois, def. Sasha Ermakov-Ashwin Kumar, Harvard, 6-3, 7-6; Marco Born-Andreas Siljestrom, Middle Tenn., def. Jermaine Jenkins-Clement Reix, Clemson, 6-4, 6-2; Markus Dickhardt-Benedikt Stronk, San Diego St., def. Aleksandr Seleznev-Harel Srugo, Old Dominion, 7-6, 6-3; Raian Luchici-Brad Pomeroy, North Carolina, def. Adam Hubble-Ben Rogers, Tennessee, 6-4, 6-3; Luigi D’Agord-Daniel Vallverdu, Miami (Fla.), def. Tyler Browne-Conor Niland, California, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Konstantin Haerle-Robert Searle, Rice, def. John Isner-Antonio Ruiz, Georgia, 6-3, 7-6; Mark Growcott-Ken Skupski, LSU, def. Nick Coutts-Zach Ganger, Utah, 7-6, 6-3; Andre Begemann-Scott Doerner, Pepperdine, def. Matt Baccarani-Patrick Thompson, Ball St., 6-1, 6-4.

Round of 16: Atas-Stokke, Duke, def. Abougzir-Westerhof, Florida St., 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Abreu-Freitas, TCU, def. Meythaler-Rizza, Virginia, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6; Anderson-Rowe, Illinois, def. Bobusic-Purcell, Georgia, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Beale-Reyes Varela, Texas, def. Hung-Maravic, Michigan, 6-3, 7-6; Born-Siljestrom, Middle Tenn., def. Dabir-DeHeart, Illinois, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Dickhardt-Stronk, San Diego St., def. Luchici-Pomeroy, North Carolina, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; D’Agord-Vallverdu, Miami (Fla.), def. Haerle-Searle, Rice, 7-6(4), 7-6(3); Begemann-Doerner, Pepperdine, def. Growcott-Skupski, LSU, 7-6, 7-6.

Quarterfinals: Abreu-Freitas, TCU, def. Atas-Stokke, Duke, 6-5, 7-6; Anderson-Rowe, Illinois, def. Beale-Reyes Varela, Texas, 6-2, 6-2; Born-Siljestrom, Middle Tenn., def. Dickhardt-Stronk, San Diego St., 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Begemann-Doerner, Pepperdine, def. D’Agord-Vallverdu, Miami (Fla.), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0.

Semifinals: Anderson-Rowe, Illinois, def. Abreu-Freitas, TCU, 6-4, 7-5; Begemann-Doerner, Pepperdine, def. Born-Siljestrom, Middle Tenn., 6-3, 7-6(7).

Championship: Anderson-Rowe, Illinois, def. Begemann-Doerner, Pepperdine, 6-2, 6-4.