And so the journey begins at home.
The No. 5 UCLA men’s tennis team (20-3) starts play in the
NCAA tournament on Saturday, hosting No. 72 Wichita State at 12
p.m. The team stands six wins away from a national title, a goal
that has eluded the Bruins since 1984.
But UCLA will take the tournament by the proverbial “one
match at a time,” and the first test is against the champions
of the Missouri Valley Conference.
What exactly do the Bruins know about Wichita State?
“Nothing at all,” head coach Billy Martin said.
“They’ve had a pretty good record, but when
they’ve played some of the better teams, they’ve gotten
beaten up pretty good.”
“I’ve only heard the name,” Pac-10 Co-Player
of the Year Marcin Matkowski said. “I don’t even know
what kind of players they have. Obviously they’re not a great
team.”
The Shockers haven’t come close to beating a team of
UCLA’s caliber, while UCLA probably hasn’t played a
team as weak as Wichita State all season.
“I’m sure if we battle we’ll win this
match,” said Tobias Clemens, the other Pac-10 Player of the
Year.
Barring a miracle, the Bruins will find themselves taking to the
courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Sunday at 1 p.m.,
playing the winner of Saturday’s match between No. 62 UCSB
(15-8) and No. 21 USC (13-11).
The Trojans beat UCSB 6-1 on Jan. 27. If previous form holds,
the battle for Los Angeles tennis supremacy will once again be
rekindled, this time on the largest stage of all, the NCAA
tournament. The winner will go on while the loser will go home.
This added pressure will further serve to motivate UCLA, a team
relishing the opportunity to knock off last year’s NCAA
champion.
UCLA has manhandled the Trojans in their two meetings this year,
winning 6-1 on the road and 7-0 at home.
“It’s great,” Clemens said. “It’s
the best draw we can have. We always want to come out and beat USC
as bad as we can.
“If we beat ‘SC as convincingly as we have the last
two times, I think we’re going to have great momentum going
for the championships.”
As if the Bruins needed more help, they will be playing these
matches at home, where they have lost only once all season: a 4-3
heartbreaker to Stanford on April 18.
“I think it’s a really big advantage,” Martin
said. “We struggle to try to be ranked high so we can play
here. Certainly it’s easier to win when you’re in an
environment you know.”
“It means a lot to be playing here,” Clemens said.
“It helps with school and it helps with your friends
watching. We don’t have to travel, so obviously it’s a
big advantage for us.”
At this point every coach has turned in a tournament lineup,
detailing who will be playing at which position throughout the
tournament.
For the Bruins, Clemens ““ ranked No. 5 in the nation
““ will play at the No. 1 spot. Matkowski (No. 22) is at No.
2; Rodrigo Grilli (No. 98) is at No. 3; Chris Lam (No. 37) is at
No. 4; Erfan Djahangiri (No. 88) is at No. 5; and un-ranked Lassi
Ketola will play at No. 6.
The Bruins should get through the weekend and advance to the
round of 16 in Georgia, but there are still concerns.
“I’m concerned only because it’s do or
die,” Martin said. “If you play sloppy, you
lose.”