In its first visit to the 64-team NCAA Men's Tennis Championship, Hawai'i started strong, but faded and was shut out by 13th-ranked Pepperdine, 4-0, yesterday in a first-round match at the Waves' Ralph-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.

The Rainbow Warriors, who do not have a senior on their roster, finished the season 8-11. They are ranked 63rd in the country. Pepperdine (19-6) has won 16 straight going into a second-round match today.

"I'm awfully proud of our team, UH coach John Nelson said. "We played one of the top teams in the country and I honestly thought we had a chance. We're all disappointed and that shows we weren't just content with getting here."

The Rainbow Warriors held leads on the Nos. 1 and 2 courts at the midway point in doubles, but eventually fell. Hawai'i's Sascha Heinemann and Andreas Weber were up 4-2 on Andre Begemann and Omar Beidas, the 24th-ranked team in the country, but the Pepperdine duo took six of the last seven games to win, 8-5.

Pepperdine clinched the doubles point when James Lemke and Mahmoud Kamel defeated Craig Faulk and Spence Mendoza on the No. 3 court, 8-3.

"We had them on the ropes in doubles and we let up," Nelson said. "We starting missing our first serve and lost our aggression. Pepperdine is a good team and once we opened the door, they took advantage. Part of that's experience. If we'd had played smart and kept the pressure on, it would've been a different story."

The Waves clinched with singles victories on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 courts. Mahmoud Kamel defeated UH's Jeff Fitch, 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 5 position and Lemke dispatched Mendoza, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4. Brian Brogan clinched it with a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Craig Faulk at the No. 6 court.

The top three matches did not finish with the result already decided. Heinemann, the top-ranked Rainbow at No. 98, led No. 37 Bassam Beidas, 6-4, 2-0 at the No. 2 court and Weber led the first set tie-breaker over Omar Altmann at the No. 3 court. Begemann, ranked No. 11, was leading Lajola, 6-4, 2-0, before the match was called.

"Our Nos. 1, 2 and 3 players were all right there," Nelson said. "They produced all season and can compete with anyone in the nation. We got everybody back and should only be better next season."