One win was expected. Two wins proved to be too much to ask
for.
The No. 11 UCLA women’s tennis team defeated No. 20 Cal
5-2 on Friday before falling to top-ranked Stanford 5-2 the next
day.
While the Bruins’ (13-5, 6-2 Pac-10) seven-match win
streak came to a halt on Saturday, No. 1 singles player Daniela
Bercek kept up her winning ways throughout the weekend.
The sophomore, ranked No. 25 in singles, set the tone for
singles competition Friday by beating Cal’s fourth-ranked
Suzi Babos 6-4, 6-1. Despite the twenty-spot gap in the rankings,
Bercek never really appeared like an underdog.
“It’s not about ranking,” Bercek said.
“It’s a question of how good you’re
playing.”
The victory was arguably Bercek’s most impressive victory
this season and avenged a straight-set loss to Babos last February
in Berkeley. She also helped UCLA win the doubles point earlier in
the afternoon by teaming up with freshman Riza Zalameda to defeat
Babos and Stephanie Kusano 8-5.
The next day, Bercek was equally impressive in recording a come
from behind three-set victory over Stanford’s ninth-ranked
Amber Liu.
However, except for Bercek and Laura Gordon, none of the Bruins
were able to get on the scoreboard against the undefeated Cardinal.
Stanford has now won 48 consecutive matches, including last
year’s NCAA Championship final over UCLA.
“Even though we didn’t play our best, you
can’t take any credit away from them,” Zalameda said.
“They’re just great players, what can you
say.”
The Bruins had stressed their focus of winning the doubles
point, but Bercek and Zalameda lost their match on Court 1 in a
tiebreak to give the Cardinal the point after the teams split on
the other two courts. Stanford didn’t slow down in singles,
taking the first set on five courts and claiming four of the first
five matches.
“They just have a good team,” Zalameda said.
“From top to bottom, they are physically bigger, stronger,
more powerful players, and it gives them confidence.”
The final score on Saturday did mark an improvement from
UCLA’s 6-1 loss to Stanford earlier this season.
Zalameda’s 6-4, 6-2 loss to Alice Barnes partially reflected
the Bruins’ attitude afterwards.
“I was disappointed with how I played,” Zalameda
said. “But it was a much better match than the last time we
played.”
Although the Bruins failed to blemish Stanford’s flawless
record, they can still close out the season on a high note by
defeating Pepperdine and cross-town rival USC in their final two
matches.