Wednesday, May 22, 1996
Phebus puts team and spiritual goals beyond all elseBy Hye
Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff
Imagine for just one second if you were Keri Phebus.
Make believe that you are the reigning NCAA champion in both
singles and doubles and you that have accumulated an overall record
of 148-28 in four years representing the UCLA women’s tennis
team.
Suppose you have garnered every kind of accolade imaginable,
most notably three (soon to be four) All-America selections and the
Honda Award given to the best female collegiate athletes in the
nation. Imagine if you were called one of the best amateur tennis
players in the country since you were 12-years old.
Now, if you have a slight arrogance about you, walking around in
a little Deion Sanders trot, people might criticize you a little
bit but no one would claim that you haven’t done anything to behave
like that.
Why? Because you are simply the best at what you do.
Despite the state that most people would end up after this
little exercise, the real Keri Phebus has yet to be seen high
stepping during change-overs. In contrast, Phebus is a consummate
team player. However, having such unassuming principles is not
easy, as Phebus found out in the middle of this season.
In order to prepare herself for the ATP Tour next year, Phebus
had to make a mid-season racket change from an oversized head to a
mid-sized one. While she was making this change, Phebus struggled
on the court and suffered losses to opponents like Isabela Petrov
and Ania Bleszynski whom she had owned in prior seasons.
While most players would have dismissed the losses as an
inevitable consequence for a top collegiate player making a
necessary adjustment for the tour, Phebus thought of them as
symbols of betrayal to her teammates. The All-American singles and
doubles player, who carried the team on her shoulders for so long,
thought herself selfish for the racket change that contributed to
her dual-match defeats.
"A few days after those losses, I broke down before the whole
team in practice when I told them about the situation," Phebus
said. "I was so sorry to the team because I had a self-serving
motive and I let them down."
Phebus’ selflessness is a symptom of her goal and beliefs.
Phebus considers herself a Christian first and a tennis player
last. To her, playing tennis is simply a method in which she puts
to use the talent bestowed upon her and reaches out to those who do
not embrace her faith.
"When people ask me how I’m able to accomplish all those awards
and titles, my task is to tell them about Jesus Christ," Phebus
said. "Tennis is such a small part of my life that if it ended
right now, I would be content to just be a servant of God."
A prominent figure in the Campus Crusade for Christ movement,
Phebus has been engaging herself with many of the group’s
activities. Just prior to the Pacific 10 Championships, CCC had an
outreach activity planned where Phebus would give her personal
testimony.
"The (event) was right before the Pac-10 ‘s and I was so excited
about it, much more than the tennis tournament," Phebus said. "I
didn’t sleep for three or four nights before I gave my
testimony."
Although she was one of the favorites to win the Pac-10 singles
title, Phebus was knocked out in the second round by Karen
Goldstein of Arizona. Perhaps her testimonial made her a little
flat for the tournament, but Phebus will tell you the bad
performance at the Pac-10’s is a very small price to pay for the
night of giving glory to her god.
"My passion is sharing about Christ and what he has done for
me," Phebus said. "That’s why I read the bible everyday and pray
for God’s guidance."
Phebus’ services to the team as humble leader who leads by
example does not go unnoticed. UCLA assistant coach Stella Sampras,
who was first hired when Phebus was playing in her freshman year,
believes that her star player’s ability to motivate her teammates
is as important as the wins on the court.
"It’s such a luxury to have a player like Keri who keeps all her
teammates, especially the younger ones, positive and focused on the
match," Sampras said. "She’s like an older sister to these
girls."
As much as Phebus downplays the importance of her tennis career,
she does see the importance of pursuing a future in the sport. Upon
completing the NCAA Individual Championships this week alongside
teammates Stephanie Chi and Paige Yaroshuk, Phebus will join the
ATP tour.
And as far as she is concerned, the biggest challenge that
awaits her at the professional level is not the Steffi Grafs and
the Mary Pierces, but of being away from the team setting for the
first time since arriving in Westwood as a freshman.
"Playing at UCLA was the first experience of playing team
tennis," Phebus said. "I’ll be all by myself against next year on
the tour, but then again, I’ll be playing for God. So, that will be
my motivation as a professional."
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
A higher calling guides defending NCAA singles and doubles
champion Keri Phebus, off and on the court.