Florida State University Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Tucson, Az.
2:00 p.m.
Florida State
vs
Pepperdine University
No. 20 Men’s Tennis Set for ITA Kickoff Weekend
1/23/2026 9:53:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TALLAHASSEE – The No. 20 Florida State men's tennis team will continue its road action for the ITA kickoff weekend in Arizona against the No. 3 seed Pepperdine University at 2 p.m. ET at the Robson Tennis Center on Saturday.
The Seminoles will compete in their fourth straight ITA kickoff after hosting last year's tournament at the Speicher Tennis Center, where the Seminoles hosted North Florida and San Diego. Florida State swept the Ospreys 4-0 in the first round, winning all six first sets and led on five courts, before falling 4-2 to San Diego the following day.
Azariah Rusher clinched his 10th singles win of the season against North Florida, defeating Chase Healy in a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Erik Schiessl claimed his first match-clinching win as a Seminole with a straight-set victory over Youssef Labbene. The German native won his first career match on Court 3, marking his highest-rated court win.
The 14 regional sites this weekend will feature the No. 1 seed facing the No. 4 seed, while the No. 2 seed competes against the No. 3 seed. Each team is guaranteed two matches, with winners and losers returning to action the following day. The champion from each site, along with host institutions Baylor and SMU, will earn an invitation to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, scheduled for February 13-17 in Texas.
Pepperdine enters the match as the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, while Florida State moved up two spots to No. 20 from the ITA preseason rankings on January 7. The Waves have only competed once this season thus far, a 4-3 win against Florida Atlantic, while Florida State is currently 5-1 on the season after winning 18 straight home matches, before falling to Arizona on Wednesday.
Live video and stats will be available on Seminoles.com.
For more information on the Florida State men's tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at Florida State Men's Tennis (FB) and FSUMTennis (IG and X).
The Seminoles will compete in their fourth straight ITA kickoff after hosting last year's tournament at the Speicher Tennis Center, where the Seminoles hosted North Florida and San Diego. Florida State swept the Ospreys 4-0 in the first round, winning all six first sets and led on five courts, before falling 4-2 to San Diego the following day.
Azariah Rusher clinched his 10th singles win of the season against North Florida, defeating Chase Healy in a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Erik Schiessl claimed his first match-clinching win as a Seminole with a straight-set victory over Youssef Labbene. The German native won his first career match on Court 3, marking his highest-rated court win.
The 14 regional sites this weekend will feature the No. 1 seed facing the No. 4 seed, while the No. 2 seed competes against the No. 3 seed. Each team is guaranteed two matches, with winners and losers returning to action the following day. The champion from each site, along with host institutions Baylor and SMU, will earn an invitation to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, scheduled for February 13-17 in Texas.
Pepperdine enters the match as the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, while Florida State moved up two spots to No. 20 from the ITA preseason rankings on January 7. The Waves have only competed once this season thus far, a 4-3 win against Florida Atlantic, while Florida State is currently 5-1 on the season after winning 18 straight home matches, before falling to Arizona on Wednesday.
Live video and stats will be available on Seminoles.com.
For more information on the Florida State men's tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at Florida State Men's Tennis (FB) and FSUMTennis (IG and X).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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