Friday, April 4, 1997
M. TENNIS:
Bruins still hurting from last year’s loss to Cardinal in
finalsBy Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
It’s been almost one year, but for the UCLA men’s tennis team,
the pain is still there.
It’s a nasty, stinging pain that has gnawed at the Bruins ever
since they collapsed in the finals of the NCAA tournament and lost
the title to the Stanford Cardinal, a team they had beaten three
times that year.
With this season past the halfway point, the sting has retreated
as the pursuit of the next title reigns supreme for the top-ranked
Bruins (18-1, 5-0). Today at 1:30 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center,
however, one can bet those old wounds will be reopened as UCLA gets
its first crack at the Cardinal since last season’s debacle.
"Anyone associated with our team last year is … ready to get a
piece of them," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "It still hurts
to this day to think about that match."
Yes, the hurt is still there, and with hurt comes anger and
spitted vitriol  and no other team arouses the Bruins’ ire
like Stanford.
"(Stanford) is the team that I hate to lose to the most,"
co-captain Eric Taino said. "Knowing the guys on the team, I don’t
really like them. They’re arrogant, just the way they act … I
don’t like."
This year, the Cardinal (15-1, 5-0) come in as a shadow of last
year’s team but still ranked seventh in the nation. With two
freshmen and a sophomore in the singles lineup, Stanford is short
of veterans and certainly lacking in the intimidation department
but still has the Bruins primed at the pump.
"They still have a lot of experience and they have a great
coaching staff," Martin said. "Anyone who takes them for granted is
out of their mind. We better be playing good and not be tentative
or we will lose."
The strength of the Stanford lineup will be stunted by the loss
of No. 2 singles player Paul Goldstein. Goldstein, who is ranked
11th in the nation, will be sidelined by a stress fracture.
The Bruins come into the match as the hottest team in the
nation, having stormed to 17 straight victories and the top ranking
in the nation after losing their second match of the year.
But as UCLA has heated up, top singles player Eric Taino has
cooled off. After winning his first 15 matches of the year, Taino
has fallen into a four-match losing skid and is looking to right
himself.
If that wasn’t enough motivation, his foe today, sophomore Ryan
Wolters, is the same player who upset Taino in last year’s
tournament to clinch the championship for Stanford. With images of
a red and white celebratory dog-pile on his court, revenge is the
issue of the moment.
"Beating (Wolters) is more important than anything else, I can’t
do anything about the matches I’ve lost," Taino said. "I’ve just
got to serve better and be a little tougher."
The Bruin lineup, which has been shakier than the San Andreas
Fault, is still up in the air going into the match. The top three
in singles will be Taino, junior Alex Decret, who since moving to
the second spot has gone 11-3, and freshman Kevin Kim.
The bottom three spots are a toss-up, with some blend of Matt
Breen, Jason Cook, and Vincent Allegre rounding out the lineup.
The doubles teams will likely be: Kim and Eric Lin at No. 1,
Taino and Decret at No. 2, and the third team undecided at press
time.
* * *
On Saturday, the Bruins will face California at noon at the
LATC. The Golden Bears come into the match with an 8-6 overall
record.
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Eric Taino stretches for a ball at a match against Arizona State
earlier this year. Today’s match against Stanford will be
especially important for Taino when he faces Ryan Wolters, whom he
lost to in last year’s finals.