Riza Zalameda may have had a horrible start to her week in
Athens, Ga., but the last few days have been quite memorable ones.
A freshman on the women’s tennis team, Zalameda suffered a
straight set loss to Lindsey Nelson in her first and only match at
the NCAA Championships team event last Thursday. Yet things have
gone much better for UCLA’s No. 2 singles player in the
individual portion of the tournament. On Wednesday, Zalameda
defeated Texas A&M’s Helga Vieira, 6-1, 7-5 to move into
the quarterfinals of the singles draw. The last UCLA player to win
the individual title was Keri Phebus in 1995. Zalameda has also
enjoyed success in the doubles draw as well. Paired with Daniela
Bercek, the fourth-seeded Bruins have moved into the quarterfinals.
On Wednesday, the duo defeated Clemson’s Julie Coin and Alix
Lacelarie, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. That doubles match served as somewhat of
a preview for today’s singles match, as Zalameda will face
the second-seeded Coin. The Tiger senior, who has not dropped a set
in the tournament so far, advanced to the semifinals of the event
last year. After taking on Coin, Zalameda will play her doubles
match with Bercek against Stanford’s Amber Liu and Anne
Yelsey. The Cardinal duo knocked off Zalameda and Bercek 9-8 (5)
last month in a dual match between UCLA and Stanford.
BASEBALL: The start time for Saturday’s game against
Washington has been moved up to 2 p.m. from 6 p.m. The decision was
made in order to accommodate fans wishing to also attend the
Bruins’ super-regional softball game against Georgia, which
is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at Easton Stadium.
Compiled by Andrew Finley, Bruin Sports senior
staff.