Though it’s often cold and dreary, the Bay Area will be a
hotbed of men’s collegiate tennis this weekend, with three
national powerhouses battling it out for Pac-10
supremacy.Â
Surprisingly, the highest-ranked team of the three has won no
NCAA championships, while the other two have combined for a
staggering 32.
The teams that have combined for the 32, No. 6 UCLA (16-1, 3-0
Pac-10) and No. 7 Stanford (14-2, 2-0 Pac-10) happen to be looking
up the rankings at No. 4 Cal (14-2, 2-0 Pac-10). But when
these teams take to the courts Friday and Saturday, anything can
happen.
UCLA, a team that continues to slide in the national rankings
despite winning five straight, has something to prove.
When the Bruins face off against Cal on Friday, memories of last
season will be on their minds.
“We lost both matches against Cal last year, and we need
some sort of redemption for sure,” Tobias Clemens, the
nation’s No. 9 player, said. “Expectations are
high.”
Though expectations are high, the match will not be
easy. Cal’s only two losses have come to No. 1 Illinois
and No. 2 Florida, the team that handed the Bruins their only loss
of the season back on Feb. 22.
And as if the talent of Cal isn’t enough, UCLA will be
without its No. 2 player, Marcin Matkowski, who is in South Africa
representing Poland in the Davis Cup.
The Bruins are counting on their depth to soften the blow.
“I think, because of our depth, we’re not going to
be feeling it quite as much as you might think,” head coach
Billy Martin said. “We’ve got a great guy in Alberto
(Francis) who will step in and play (number) six singles this
week.”
Francis will start at No. 6 singles, and the regular starters
should be bumped up a place. That would leave Clemens at No. 1,
move Grilli to No. 2, Erfan Djahangiri to No. 3, Chris Lam to No.
4, and Lassi Ketola to No. 5.Â
Saturday’s match won’t get any easier for the
Bruins. Stanford is the winner of nine straight matches, with
its last loss coming Feb. 21 to Baylor. The Cardinal also lost
to Cal, 4-3, earlier in the season.
Winner of 17 NCAA championships, Stanford is the most storied
program in men’s collegiate tennis.Â
“With their NCAA championships, you’d have to say
that they’ve dominated the country,” Martin
said. “But we’ve held our own pretty well against
them.”
In fact, UCLA leads the all-time series 46-44.Â
The intensity of the rivalry means that every match is taken
very seriously.
“Stanford is always a special match with the frat guys
coming out there,” Clemens said. “It’s going
to be a great event.”
This weekend will arguably be the toughest the Bruins have faced
all season. But they appear up for the challenge. There
are no cautionary excuses being made due to Matkowski’s
absence. Rather, there is only confidence.
“The previous two years I thought we didn’t have as
good a chance to win,” Martin said. “This year I think
we have a good chance to win. I’m going up there with
the attitude that we can win both of these matches.”