The 6-1 final score may have indicated a blowout, but
Friday’s UCLA women’s tennis victory over Pepperdine
was hardly a cakewalk.
Nevertheless, the 2-0 Bruins justified their No. 7 national
ranking over a Pepperdine team stacked with international
players.
Even with the Waves’ rich overseas talent, the most
impressive international player on display was the Bruins’
Susi Wild. Wild, a freshman from Germany, arrived at UCLA this
month, but is already having a tremendous impact.
She teamed with sophomore Sarah Gregg at No. 1 doubles, knocking
off Pepperdine’s Charlotte Vernaz and Veronica Koksova 8-5.
In singles, she dominated Koksova 6-3, 6-2.
“Every time she plays we get more and more excited,”
UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “We still
haven’t seen the best of her.”
Most of the other Bruins struggled early in their singles
matches, but rebounded strongly to allow for a comfortable margin
of victory.
Gregg dropped her first set, but bounced back to win the match
2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Freshman Laura Gordon also lost her first set, 3-6, but came
back to take the next two sets handily 6-3, 6-2. Senior Sara
Walker, playing at the No. 1 singles spot, was down 4-2 in the
first set to Monika Horvath before taking command of the match and
winning 6-4, 6-2.
“I came out a little tight and was going for winners too
soon,” Walker said. “It took time to relax.”
The only Bruin who jumped out to an early lead was freshman
Jackie Carleton, who withstood a second set charge from
Pepperdine’s No. 2 player, Natalie Braverman, to win 6-2,
7-5. Carleton played doubles with sophomore Anya Loncaric, beating
Merve Asimgil and Karin Schlapbach 8-5.
Some of the struggles the Bruins encountered early on can be
attributed to the style of play many international players use.
“They hit with a lot more spin and slice,” Sampras
Webster said. “It’s hard to get into a rhythm.
“It’s not always pretty tennis. The American players
are used to hitting hard, but they’re going to have to learn
to adjust.”
This week, the team will face an even tougher challenge. After
playing UC Irvine Thursday, they will take on crosstown rival USC
Friday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Trojans are currently
ranked No. 9.