Aside from a respectable loss to top-ranked Stanford last
weekend, the UCLA women’s tennis team has been mowing down
its opponents.
That trend continued on Thursday afternoon as the No. 10 Bruins
downed 38th-ranked Pepperdine 6-1 at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in
Malibu.
“I was very pleased with the way we won,” coach
Stella Sampras Webster said. “Overall, it was a good
performance and a great match for us.”
The Bruins (14-5) started out strong by sweeping the doubles
point, led once again by the No. 2 doubles team of Daniela Bercek
and Riza Zalameda, who dispatched of Sylvia Kosakowski and Caroline
Raba with a score of 8-6.
UCLA then went on to win five of six singles matches,
surrendering just one point when Sampras-Webster decided to retire
No. 4 singles player Sarah Gregg. The move to keep Gregg healthy is
understandable, especially with a rematch against USC looming on
Saturday.
“It will be a huge match,” Sampras Webster said.
“We definitely know what to expect after playing them almost
a month ago. … It would be a great confidence boost to knock off
the No. 4 team in the country heading into postseason
play.”
Beating the Trojans would give UCLA its first win over a top
five opponent and strengthen its case for a sixth or seventh seed
in the NCAA Tournament next month.
In their last meeting, UCLA lost 4-3 in front of a hostile crowd
at USC, however, the team feels it can reverse its fortune against
the rival Trojans tomorrow.
“We are definitely taking this match to heart,” said
Zalameda. “We feel like we can beat anybody right
now.”
While playing on their home court will definitely give the
Bruins an advantage, Sampras Webster also believes her team can
capitalize on the Trojans’ weaknesses as well.
“We’re feeling confident,” Sampras Webster
said. “They are vulnerable at the No. 6 spot and their third
doubles team is vulnerable. Winning the doubles point will be
important, and really just getting the team mentally prepared …
it’ll be great to see our team respond.”
Though the match will not count toward their Pac-10 standings,
it may still have significant bearing on the Bruins’
postseason position.
“This is a big match for us, heading into postseason
play,” Sampras Webster said. “Beating USC will
certainly help our ranking, which will help our seeding to get us a
good draw in the NCAAs.”