It’s almost over. But the exciting part is just about to
begin.
With only two regular season matches remaining, the 10th-ranked
UCLA women’s tennis team will soon shift its focus to the
Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments.
But before they can do that, they’ll have to finish their
regular season with two crucial matches. How the Bruins fare
against Pepperdine today and USC on Saturday could go a long way in
determining their fate in the postseason.
The match against the fourth-ranked Trojans will likely have an
important impact on the Bruins’ seeding for the NCAA
Tournament next month. A win over USC will likely vault UCLA to a
higher ranking and probably keep them from having to face
undefeated, and probably top-seed, Stanford, should both teams
reach the tournament’s quarterfinals.
“I really don’t know how they’re going to do
it,” UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster said of any potential
seeding. “Every team with the exception of Stanford has had
big wins and bad losses.”
While a win over USC would give UCLA its first win over a
top-five opponent this season and a better chance at securing a
higher seeding, there is another motivating factor at play going
into Saturday’s match. Last month, the Bruins suffered a
bitter 4-3 loss to their crosstown rivals and the taste is
something they would rather not revisit.
“We definitely want a little revenge on ‘SC,”
freshman Riza Zalameda said. “We’ll take a win however
we can get it, even if it’s just a 4-3 win.”
Before they can turn their attention to the Trojans though, the
Bruins will travel up to Malibu to face Pepperdine for the second
time this year. UCLA knocked off Pepperdine 5-2 earlier this year
and has enjoyed considerable success over the Waves the past few
years. Still, Sampras Webster has reminded her team that Pepperdine
should not be taken lightly.
“Pepperdine always seems to play its best against
us,” freshman Elizabeth Lumpkin said. “We’ll have
to play hard against them.”
A pair of wins over the weekend and the Bruins will ride into
the postseason with confidence, an impressive win on their resume
and a better ranking to go along with it. Any loss will just make
the future road more challenging.