When Laura Gordon stepped onto the court to play Loyola
Marymount’s Tamara Tanner, the match was already over.
And it wasn’t because of a quirky NCAA rule that gives
UCLA four points each time Gordon steps onto the court.
With the top three and back two courts at the Los Angeles Tennis
Center deemed unplayable because of wetness, only three matches
could be played at once. Gordon, playing at the No. 6 position, had
to wait until just after 4:30 p.m. before starting her match.
By that time, the Bruins (1-0) had won the needed four points to
clinch the match. Gordon promptly earned a victory as well, and the
team coasted to a 7-0 victory.
“It’s a little hard going out there knowing
you’ve won, but it’s still good match play for
USC,” Gordon said.
The Bruins warmed up on the stadium courts, but before beginning
the doubles sets, the team’s coaches decided it was not safe
to play on them.
“It was a safety precaution,” assistant coach Rance
Brown said.
Although the actual playing surfaces were dry, the coaches
believed the shaded part of the courts along the back fence was
still wet and could cause players to slip when they went to
retrieve balls.
However, many of the spectators and players thought the courts
were perfectly playable. Shortly after the coaches opted not to
play on the stadium courts, the men’s team immediately began
practicing there.
“The courts were not wet,” game staff crew member
Tom Solomon said. “(Men’s coach) Billy (Martin)
wouldn’t have his guys practicing out there if it
wasn’t safe.”
The Bruins’ top half of the line-up did its best to not
make the bottom half wait too long before starting. Freshman
Daniela Bercek did not drop a game in her win at No. 2 over
Patrycia Hubl. She gave way to fellow freshman Alex McGoodwin, who
also coasted to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Serena Fermin.
However, UCLA’s coaching staff was not surprised at their
impressive wins.
“They were world class juniors and have travelled around
the world,” Brown said. “They will make an impact in
our program right off the bat.”
Bercek did not think too much of her victory.
“We knew this would be a warm-up for USC,” Bercek
said.
The Bruins face the Trojans tomorrow at the Marks Tennis
Stadium. There is no word yet on the court conditions there.