As Saturday nears and distractions fall by the wayside, the
focus of the UCLA men’s tennis team continues to narrow.
Midterms are nearly complete, other sports teams are concluding
their seasons, and the possibility of another run at the NCAA
championship is becoming more and more real. “We’ve
worked really hard, and physically, we’re strong and
ready,” senior Alberto Francis said. “We’re
really excited to get things started.” The sixth-seeded
Bruins (21-3) begin play in the NCAA Tournament when they host
Manhattan at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Saturday. If the
Bruins win on Saturday, they will face the winner of Cal and San
Diego State. The Bruins haven’t played a dual match since a
5-2 victory over USC on April 15, but UCLA coach Billy Martin is
confident that his team has stayed physically and mentally sharp.
“I don’t like this long of a wait, but we’re
doing the best we can, trying to cover all the bases,” Martin
said. Those bases have included a relatively intense program of
conditioning and weight training in the last few weeks, designed to
make sure the team is physically prepared to play four matches in
four days if they advance to the Sweet 16. “We may pick it up
a little bit this week,” Martin said. Some players on the
team are also drawing inspiration from somewhat unusual places.
After watching the UCLA men’s volleyball team lose 3-2 to
Pepperdine in the NCAA championship on Saturday, senior Kris Kwinta
couldn’t help but remember what it was like to lose to Baylor
in the men’s tennis championship last season.
“We’re excited, especially after watching the
disappointing volleyball loss on Saturday,” Kwinta said.
“That was like a kick for our tennis team to work
harder.” “That was so disappointing, even though
I’m not a part of the volleyball team. I’m a part of
the big Bruin family, and it just makes you want to refuse to lose
in your sport.”
THE LINEUP: Martin was required to submit his
lineup for the NCAA tournament last Monday, and the team is not
allowed to diverge from this lineup for the entire tournament. The
singles lineup consists of No. 1 Luben Pampoulov, No. 2 Benjamin
Kohlloeffel, No. 3 Kris Kwinta, No. 4 Chris Lam, No. 5 Alberto
Francis and No. 6 Philipp Gruendler. In doubles, Francis and Kwinta
will play at No. 1, Kohlloeffel and Gruendler at No. 2 and Lam and
Pampoulov at No. 3. Three Bruins received all-conference acclaim
this season, as Kohlloeffel, ranked No. 11 in the nation, was named
Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year. Kohlloeffel joined Pampoulov, ranked
No. 7, on the Pac-10 First Team, while Kwinta received an Honorable
Mention.