Though it was eliminated from the NCAA Championships after a 4-3
loss to No. 4 Florida on Thursday, the UCLA women’s tennis
team has two-thirds of its top six members still staying in Palo
Alto to compete. This time, though, the contingent of Bruins will
be going on solo missions, competing in the NCAA Individual
Tournament, a 64-player draw that features the top women in the
nation. The group of Bruins includes senior Laura Gordon, junior
Alex McGoodwin and sophomores Tracy Lin and Riza Zalameda. Gordon,
who captained UCLA this past season, will have what appears to be
the toughest first-round matchup of all the teammates. She will be
pitted against Zuzana Cerna, a 9-16 seed from Baylor who has
compiled a 45-6 record this season in singles play as the No. 2
player on the Bears’ lineup. “Obviously you don’t
really want to play against a seeded (player) in the first
round,” Gordon said. “But it’s a good opportunity
to beat someone who’s ranked ahead of me. “I know she
plays like a clay-courter, but not much else,” Gordon said of
Cerna. “I just try to work on my own game and capitalize on
my forehand. As long as I play well, I don’t really have to
worry about who I play.” Though she has had an impressive run
recently, Gordon will find herself in a new setting when she takes
the court alone at noon. “It’s definitely different,
especially for me, because I feed off the energy in dual
matches,” she said. “Hopefully I can get pumped up
without the team there behind me.” The Aspen, Colo. native
has one final goal before leaving behind her legacy as a Bruin: to
become an All-American. Zalameda, meanwhile, made it to last
year’s NCAA Individual Semifinals before losing to
Northwestern’s Audra Cohen ““ who now plays at Miami
““ and looks to begin a similar run this postseason, beginning
with a match against Carol Salge of Clemson. “I don’t
really know her style of play, but the same thing happened last
year when I went up against girls I didn’t know much
about,” Zalameda said. “Whatever happens, happens. But
I just want to do well in singles and doubles.” Lin and
McGoodwin, who are in their first ever NCAA Individuals, will play
later in the day, starting at 6 and 6:30 p.m., respectively. Lin is
set to face off against Blair DiSesa of Rice, who is currently
ranked No. 78 ““ 32 spots behind the Bruin sophomore.
Meanwhile, McGoodwin will take on fellow junior No. 39 Meg Racette
of the University of Iowa.
AWARD WINNER: Gordon was named the 2006
recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Cissie
Leary Sportsmanship Award on Monday at the NCAA Championships at
Stanford. The award is given to a junior or senior who has
demonstrated extraordinary commitment and unwavering dedication to
her team during the season, with exceptional hard work, courage,
sportsmanship and a positive, cooperative attitude. “It is
well deserved and a real tribute to her tremendous
character,” coach Stella Sampras Webster said.