It was a sacrifice that many athletes would be unwilling to
make: sitting out the last regular season home match as a senior
and letting a freshman take the spot.
Then again, most athletes haven’t had the experience that
senior Sarah Gregg of the UCLA women’s tennis team has.
After capturing an 8-4 doubles victory with freshman partner
Tracy Lin against USC last month, Gregg was given the choice of
resting her injured wrist by sitting out her singles match or
playing through the pain.
With the NCAA Championships approaching, it was a pivotal
decision on the part of Gregg, who hopes to contribute more
victories to the Bruins in postseason play.
Although she knew the match would be close, she trusted freshman
Elizabeth Lumpkin to take the court so that she could rest her
wrist for the NCAA Tournament.
“I said I’d do whatever was best for the
team,” Gregg said. “It just felt pretty weak that day
and I think because we won the doubles point, we had a lot more
confidence going into singles.”
In the fall of this season, Gregg injured her right wrist while
hitting a forehand in a practice doubles match. Initially, she
thought the injury wasn’t serious, but she soon realized
otherwise.
“The next day I tried to warm up for the All-American
(tournament) and it was hurting so I took a day off,” Gregg
said. “Then the next day it was still hurting and it’s
never gone away.”
After going to a doctor, Gregg discovered that she had torn a
ligament, forcing her to wear a cast on her wrist for six
weeks.
The injury, which she initially expected to slow her down at the
beginning of the season, has lingered throughout her final season
in Westwood.
Although Gregg had encountered some minor leg injuries in prior
years, the wrist injury is the first that has affected her style of
play and kept her from practicing with the rest of the team.
“There are certain shots I struggle with more than others,
but I’ve learned how to compensate for them,” Gregg
said.
Her coach, Stella Sampras Webster, sympathized with the
unfortunate season Gregg has had to endure, particularly the
decision she was forced to make in the USC match.
“It was hard as a coach to see a player that has been
there for you for four years and done everything,” Sampras
Webster said. “She’s worked extremely hard and has won
a lot of big matches for us. And for her not to be able to finish
the season with a big win ““ it’s hard to
see.”
Both player and coach are optimistic, however, of Gregg’s
ability to be a major contributor for the NCAA Regionals, which
begin this Friday for the Bruins.
Sampras Webster feels that Gregg will be able to build
confidence in her first two singles matches and set yet another
example for her teammates.
“She is the leader on this team,” Sampras Webster
said. “She’s more of a leader by example through her
actions; more so than vocally. It’s been great to have a
leader like that on a team with three freshmen.”
Sampras Webster added that having Gregg for singles will be
crucial for the team to make a run deep into the NCAA
Tournament.
“Hopefully she’ll be 100 percent and be match-tough
and feel confident,” Sampras Webster said. “I’m
counting on that.”