As one looks at the bracket for the men’s tennis National
Team Indoors, which begins today in Chicago, there are potential
matchups that have incredible intrigue. That’s bound to
happen when 16 of the top teams in the country play over four
consecutive days to determine a champion.
But given the history, there’s one match that would surely
be more intriguing than any other. If the second-seeded UCLA
men’s tennis team (8-0), which plays Oklahoma State today in
the first round, were to advance to the finals, the Bruins could
meet host Illinois in a match that would certainly promise
fireworks.
“I’m just glad that I don’t have to worry
about dealing with that until maybe the finals, if we’re
lucky enough to get there,” UCLA coach Billy Martin said.
That’s how things are between these two teams.
First there was the 2003 season, when Illinois coach Craig Tiley
challenged the eligibility of several international players,
including former Bruin Tobias Clemens, right before the NCAA
Tournament was set to begin. Illinois, whose roster was comprised
entirely of American players, won both the indoor championship and
the NCAA championship that season with an undefeated record. Then
there was last season, when Illinois crushed UCLA, 4-0, in the
indoor championship. The Bruins got some sweet revenge, however,
snapping Illinois’ 64-match winning streak with a 4-2 win in
the NCAA semifinals.
With Tiley remaining outspoken against international players,
and with Martin defending his team and his recruiting tactics, it
seems that there’s some bad blood between these teams.
It’s the kind of relationship that would make another title
matchup between these teams a compelling story.
“They always have a lot of people out, and they’re
pretty rowdy,” senior Chris Lam said of the Illini, who are
the tournament’s fifth seed. “If we play them in the
finals, it would be great. It would be a high pressure situation
with all their fans there.”
It would be the kind of situation that the Bruins would
undoubtedly benefit from, considering they haven’t been
challenged yet this season. After playing their first eight matches
at home and outscoring their opponents 55-1, the Bruins will
finally be challenged this weekend, which makes a date in the
Sunday’s final far from certain.
“I think we’re as good as anybody in the country,
indoors or outdoors,” Martin said. “It’s going to
take a heck of a good team to beat us, but I certainly don’t
think we’re unbeatable.”
UCLA was supposed to play crosstown rival USC last Friday, but
that match was rained out, leaving some to question how prepared
the Bruins could be. “I think we are pretty much
prepared,” sophomore Benjamin Kohlloeffel said. “We had
a little bit of bad luck on Friday. It would have been really good
to play USC there just to get the intensity going. It’s
always a different match, and that would have got our heads more
focused for the indoors. But we can’t change the
weather.”
Weather won’t be a problem this weekend when they play in
the Mid-Town Tennis Club, the largest indoor tennis club in the
world. Instead, they’ll have to deal with the likes of No. 1
and defending national champion Baylor, Georgia and Florida.
And, of course, Illinois.