Friday, 5/16/97 Their day has come M.TENNIS After coming one
match away from capturing last year’s championship, UCLA hopes not
to be denied this year
By Mark Shapiro Daily Bruin Staff A day that has been 12 months
in the making has finally arrived for the UCLA men’s tennis team.
Saturday, with a 12-year title drought staring them in the face,
the Bruins kick off the 1997 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships in a 2
p.m. match at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. This is the day that
the Bruins, who finished the season ranked No. 1 and are the No. 1
seed in the tournament, have been waiting forever since their upset
loss to Stanford in last year’s championship match. On Saturday,
when they take the court against Northwestern in a first-round
match, the seemingly interminable wait will come to an end.
"Everyone’s pretty excited about it," UCLA head coach Billy Martin
said. "We’re healthy and looking good. We’ve been working so hard.
So much time and effort has gone into it." Northwestern, which the
Bruins (23-3, 9-1 Pac-10) will face in tomorrow’s first-round
showdown, was one of the last teams to qualify for the tournament,
seizing one of the final spots by winning the Region IV
championship. Their latecomer status does not do justice to their
regular-season record, in which they went 20-6, including a perfect
10-0 record in Big Ten play and their No. 27 national ranking.
Heading up the 16th-seeded Wildcat lineup is junior Alex Witt, who
posted a 15-8 record at No. 1 singles. One rung below him is Marc
Silva, who went 20-6 at the second spot. The strength of the
Wildcats’ lineup, however, lies in their doubles teams.
Northwestern went undefeated in doubles play in dual matches this
year, including a victory over Illinois in the regional
championship. "That was impressive," Martin said. "They’re a good
doubles team, that worries me a little bit. We’re going to have to
play good to beat them." For the Bruins, who come into the match in
search of their first title since 1985, the situation is near
perfect, as they will spend the entire tournament savoring their
home-court advantage. Last year, UCLA had to hit the road, dealing
with a hostile environment and unfamiliar surroundings. This year,
it is the Wildcats who have to deal with these formidable
obstacles. "This is so much easier," Martin said. "(The players)
don’t have to travel, they sleep in their own beds. We’ve wanted to
make it easy on the team." Even with this advantage, an air of
trepidation surrounds the team. Last year’s squad entered the first
round looking ahead to later rounds and almost suffered a
first-round upset. This year, a slightly more jaded approach to No.
1 rankings and gaudy records is being taken as the first round
looms. "We’re confident in that we’ve prepared well and are in good
shape," Martin said. "I don’t smell an air of complete, utter
confidence that we’re going to win the tournament." JUSTIN
WARREN/Daily Bruin While No. 2 seed Alex Decret and the rest of the
men’s tennis team remain confident in their chances, they won’t
underestimate first-round opponent Northwestern in the NCAA men’s
tennis championships. Related Links: NCAA