At first glance it appears as though the UCLA women’s
tennis team may have no chance today as they take on No. 4 Florida.
Not only is Florida ranked significantly higher than the No. 19
Bruins, but the Gators (23-1) have only lost one match all season.
However, a simple glance at the two teams’ respective
conferences begins to tell a different story. The No. 19 Bruins
(15-6) play in the Pac-10, the toughest conference in the nation.
They have undoubtedly played one of the toughest schedules in the
country, taking on both Stanford and USC twice, along with No. 11
Cal and No. 13 Pepperdine. “The fact that they lost just one
match doesn’t really mean anything,” sophomore Tracy
Lin said. “The Pac-10 has three out of 16 schools remaining
in the tournament.” In addition to the Bruins, who finished
fourth in conference play, the Pac-10 is represented by the
nation’s top two programs ““ Stanford and USC. Florida
dominated the Southeastern Conference going 14-0 against lesser
opponents. The Gators’ biggest challenge was No. 12
Vanderbilt. “There are a bunch of schools that are seeded
above us that haven’t necessarily had good wins, but just
haven’t played anyone good enough,” Lin said. It
appears then that upon closer examination, the Bruin team
shouldn’t be considered so much of the underdog they’ve
already been tagged. UCLA was able to avenge its first loss of the
season by handling Pepperdine with no mercy en route to a 4-0
victory in the second round of the NCAA Regionals this past
Saturday. Another loss of the Bruins’ season came to a Cal
team that was eliminated from the tournament by Fresno State. The
loss for the Bruins came in a narrow 4-3 decision away from the Los
Angeles Tennis Center. And the four remaining defeats all came at
the hands of Stanford and USC. In fact, the results against the
Trojans could have very well been different, with each of the two
dual matches coming down to the wire even though they were played
within just days of one another. While the Bruins still cannot
undermine the strength or depth of the Gator squad, they must also
remain levelheaded. “I think being here, everyone’s a
little on edge, so we need to make sure we’re ready and
prepared to play,” UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster said.
“Because it is a big match and it’s a win-or-go-home
situation, it’s important that we play to our fullest
capabilities.” For the Bruins to do so, they just need to
look at, and seek to mirror, their triumph over Pepperdine ““
who, like Florida, was favored to beat the Bruins. “We have a
lot of confidence coming off our match against Pepperdine,”
senior captain Laura Gordon said. “It’s a huge
opportunity for us to get a win against a team that hasn’t
lost many matches.” The key to maintaining confidence for the
Bruins, once again, will be the doubles point and their ability to
seize hold of it. If they can do so once again, the pressure will
then be put on the Gators to outperform the Bruins on nearly every
singles court. “We just have to get off to a good start
against Florida by getting that doubles point,” Sampras
Webster said. “I know everyone’s going to be a little
nervous, but hopefully we can get relaxed and take control.”
The Bruins hope the presence of the UCLA men’s tennis team
will help ease any nervousness, and they understand that their
showing will test the true temperament of Florida, as it did
against Pepperdine, when only less than a handful of the
men’s team showed up. “It’s a great opportunity
for us to take out the four seed,” Sampras Webster said.
“If I were on another team, I wouldn’t want to play
UCLA because I feel that we’re heavily underrated,” Lin
said.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The last time Stanford
hosted the NCAA Championships in 2002, UCLA advanced to the
quarterfinals. The Bruins defeated crosstown rival USC, 4-1, in the
Round of 16 before falling to third-seeded Georgia, 4-2.