Even though three doubles sets are worth just one of seven
points in a college tennis match, that point often proves to be the
most crucial.
Just ask UCLA women’s tennis team, which captured that
point in a 4-3 victory over Tennessee Thursday, but lost it to
Florida and Georgia in consecutive 4-3 defeats Friday and Saturday
at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors in Madison, Wisconsin.
In Friday’s quarterfinal loss to the Gators, the Bruins
lost all three doubles sets, the closest result was Anya Loncaric
and Jackie Carleton’s 8-5 loss to Jennifer Magley and Zerene
Reyes. In the consolation match the next day, Georgia also
dominated the Bruins in doubles, sweeping all three sets.
“It was pretty obvious that our doubles was weak,”
head coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “We’ll have to
make some adjustments.”
Nevertheless, the Bruins left the tournament knowing that, at
least in singles, they can compete with any team in the country.
They split their six singles matches against second-ranked Florida,
Georgia and Tennessee.
Florida, which was striving for a record seventh title at the
tournament, went on to reach the finals of the tournament before
losing to Duke, 4-3.
“It was good playing the top teams out of our conference
that we don’t normally see,” Sampras Webster said.
“We have so many freshmen who haven’t experienced this
type of intensity in a dual match, and it was really good for
them.”
Freshmen Jackie Carleton and Susi Wild seemed to enjoy that
experience the most, each going a perfect 3-0 in the tournament.
After crushing Tennessee’s Tammy Encina 6-0, 6-2 in the first
round match, Carleton upset Florida’s ninth-ranked Alexis
Gordon 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, and then beat Georgia’s Anne Nguyen
6-3, 0-6, 6-1. Wild, in her three matches, dropped just one set,
against 22nd-ranked Julie Rotondi of Florida.
“Susi is getting better and better, and it’s really
exciting to watch,” Sampras Webster said. “Jackie also
played extremely well even though indoors isn’t her favorite
surface.”
Another highlight for the Bruins came Saturday when senior Sara
Walker received the United States Tennis Association Sportsmanship
Award.
The 16 coaches at the tournament chose the recipient based on
exemplifying the spirit of college tennis.
Playing at the No. 1 position, Walker faced top 10-players in
all three matches, including Agata Cioroch of Georgia, the
highest-ranked player in the country. She cruised past
Florida’s seventh-ranked Lindsay Dawaf 6-2, 6-4, but came up
just short against Cioroch, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, and fourth-ranked
Vilmarie Castellvi of Tennessee, 7-5, 5-7, 10-8.
Her close results reflect the competitiveness throughout
women’s tennis.
“There’s lots of parity out there,” Sampras
Webster said. “Florida and Georgia are beatable, and
we’re just one match away. Better doubles will make a huge
difference for us.”
Sampras Webster is hoping that the return of Lauren Fisher, an
All-American doubles player, will strengthen the doubles lineup.
She may return as soon as Friday for the Bruins’ match
against Pepperdine.
“Lauren’s our strongest doubles player,”
Sampras Webster said. “Our team will definitely get better
once she is back.”