After a one-day layoff, the UCLA men’s tennis team will be
back in action today against UC Irvine. The second-ranked Bruins
(4-0) shutout the Anteaters in their season opener last year and
are heavily favored to win big again this year. Sophomore Philipp
Gruendler will still be unavailable for today’s match.
However, the Bruins have far from struggled in his absence against
weaker non-conference opponents. The team has yet to yield a point
this season in its opening wins over Azusa Pacific, Pacific, UNLV
and BYU. Its only struggles appeared early to be at No. 1 doubles,
but the Bruins finally captured their first victory at that spot
against the Cougars.
WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Coach Adam Krikorian
and the women’s water polo team head off to Ann Arbor, Mich.
to open their season at the Michigan Invitational. The Bruins will
welcome back four Olympians that redshirted last season and another
Olympian, freshman Gabrielle Domanic, that captured the bronze
medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. UCLA will have a chance to ease
into their newly calibrated roster as the No. 1 preseason-ranked
team against a host of subpar squads. “This team is probably
going to be the most talented team that we have ever had and it
certainly will be the deepest,” Krikorian said. “On
paper, the talent is incredible, but teams aren’t created by
talent. The key for us this year is playing together.” On
Saturday, UCLA will face off against No. 11 Indiana and then
Colorado State. The Bruins will then tangle with No. 9 Michigan on
Sunday. Last season, the Wolverines captured their home
tournament.
GYMNASTICS: Senior Kristen Maloney was named
Pac-10 Conference Gymnast of the Week following her career-high
39.75 effort in a quadrangular meet last weekend. Her scores earned
her first place in the bars, beam and vault, as well as a
second-place finish on the floor exercise. The all-around score
from the meet is the highest in the nation this year.
TRACK AND FIELD: UCLA, the defending
women’s outdoor national champions, will take to the track
for the first time since capturing the title this past June in
Austin, Texas. The Bruin women, ranked No. 5 in the nation, will
begin the indoor season in Seattle at the Husky Invitational. Among
those expected to compete include defending pole vault national
champion junior Chelsea Johnson, sophomore hurdler MacKenzie Hill
and junior hurdler Dawn Harper. The 18th-ranked Bruin men will also
send a contingent to Seattle. Arkansas will host the NCAA Indoor
Championships from March 10-12.
Compiled by Andrew Finley, Bryan Chu and Jeff Eisenberg,
Bruin sports senior staff.