A crucial factor in the Pac-10 run. A rush for revenge. A need
to prove themselves.
Those could all describe what the UCLA men’s tennis team
is going after this weekend, as it plays host to Stanford and
California for the last time this season.
“If we play aggressive and energetic, good tennis, then we
have the ability to win both matches,” UCLA coach Billy
Martin said.
The No. 11 Bruins face the No. 12 Cardinal today. The last time
the two met was in February, a very close 4-3 meet that ended in
the Bruins’ first defeat of the season.
“We really want to take our revenge,” freshman
Haythem Abid said. “This weekend’s matches are the most
important ones we have had this season.”
UCLA’s latest ranking at the No. 11 spot is its first time
out of the top 10 this season. The Bruins (13-4) would like nothing
more than to beat Stanford and move back among the upper
echelon.
“The new rankings do not show where we are supposed to be
and deserve to be,” redshirt junior Chris Surapol said.
The Cardinal are a tougher opponent than their No. 12 rank
suggests. Having recovered from different injuries at the beginning
of the season, they have won their last four meets and defeated No.
7 Illinois a few days ago.
“There are four teams in line for the Pac-10 Championship
this season,” Martin said. “Stanford is one of
them.”
Martin adds Washington, UCLA and Cal to that group. The Bears
are currently No. 24 in the nation, but the ranking system does not
reflect Cal’s potential either. The last time both teams
played, UCLA won 6-1, but the matches were much tighter than the
score implies.
UCLA and national No. 1-ranked junior Benjamin Kohlloeffel lost
6-3 6-2 to Cal’s Conor Niland back then, the second and last
time Kohlloeffel was defeated in a singles dual matches this
season.
“It is probably the only time I will say we are not the
favorite at the No. 1 spot,” Martin said.
The Bruins are 2-0 in the Pac-10, and winning this
weekend’s matches would set them apart in the race for the
conference title.
“It would be great to go to Oregon and Washington with a
4-0 record,” Martin said. “And we are capable of doing
it, but there is no guarantee.”
Finishing the season at a higher ranking would secure an initial
NCAA draw avoiding top teams, a definite advantage. However, the
2005 team did not get an easy ride to its national title, and such
a path does not seem to be a top priority for this year’s
Bruins either.
“Whether we get a tough draw or an easy one, it does not
matter. We need to win them all anyway,” Surapol said.
For their last meet at home this season, the Bruins are really
hoping to attract crowds. Stanford stadiums are notorious for their
atmosphere, and UCLA’s tennis team hopes the smell of free
pizza and sounds of the band emerging from the stands will attract
students climbing up Bruin Walk.
“We were never defeated when the band was in the
stands,” Martin said. “Another tennis superstition I
guess.”