The last time the UCLA women’s tennis team left
California, it picked up two losses in three days against Stanford
and Vanderbilt.
Although the Texas Longhorns may not be in the elite class with
the Cardinal or Commodores, the No. 16 team is still capable of
sending the Bruins back home from Austin on Sunday with another
road loss.
“Their No. 1 player is strong, but we’re going in
ready,” coach Stella Sampras Webster said.
In last year’s match-up, the Bruins crushed the Longhorns
6-1 at home. But playing away from home against a team with four
new starters, including two freshmen, the Bruins are not expecting
another cakewalk. Kendra Strohm, who played No. 1 singles for Texas
in last year’s loss, has spent much of this season at the No.
4 spot, reflecting the Longhorns’ vast improvement.
“They’re a young team, but they’re definitely
stronger than last year,” Sampras Webster said.
As tough as traveling and the Longhorns can be, injuries could
very well be the biggest thorn in the Bruins’ side. Freshman
Alex McGoodwin, who has missed the last two matches, will be out
another two weeks because of a stomach strain.
And now the Bruins will also be without their other freshman
sensation, 44th-ranked Daniela Bercek. Against Pepperdine, Bercek
was forced to default her match against Charlotte Vernaz because of
an injury to her left foot. She had X-rays taken yesterday, but
regardless of how they turn out, Sampras Webster will err on the
side of caution and rest her.
This action will bring either sophomore Shilpa Joshi or freshman
Nina Yaftali into the lineup at the No. 6 position. Junior Lauren
Fisher, who has not played more than two consecutive singles
matches this season, will be expected to play singles for the third
time in a row.
“We are being a little conservative,” Sampras
Webster said of resting Bercek and McGoodwin. “But we have a
lot of depth and are really confident with the players we
have.”
The accumulating injuries to freshmen are all too familiar for
the Bruin coach. Two freshmen last year, Jackie Carleton and Feriel
Esseghir, missed significant parts of last season. While
Carleton’s shin splints were not long-lasting, Esseghir is
still recovering from her foot injury. At this point, this
year’s freshmen just hope their injuries do not linger late
into the season.
“Tennis is a high-impact sport, so this stuff just
happens,” McGoodwin said. “Hopefully if I take time off
now, I’ll be ready for the NCAAs later.”