The members of the No. 9 UCLA men’s tennis team (21-3) are no strangers to pulling off upsets in the postseason, having done so a number of times in the past few years. Thus, it comes as no surprise that when the Bruins take on eighth-seeded Oklahoma State (19-4) today in the round of 16, the last thing on the team’s mind will be their opponent’s ranking.
UCLA will look beyond the seed of the Cowboys, as the Bruins feel their draw wasn’t necessarily the best one they could have received, and that they are fully capable of beating some of the nation’s top teams.
“I think everyone is on the same page now,” sophomore Haythem Abid said. “It’s important to get focused because this is the time of season we need to be playing our best tennis.”
Though Oklahoma State and UCLA have yet to meet this season, they have taken on several similar opponents. While the Cowboys suffered losses at the hands of Illinois and Texas Tech, the Bruins beat both teams, including a 4-0 shutout over the Red Raiders in the most recent round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday. Like UCLA, though, Oklahoma State recorded two shutouts in the opening rounds of tournament play to reach today’s round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
“We’re all playing with a lot of confidence right now,” junior Mathieu Dehaine said. “We aren’t looking too far ahead, and are paying attention to this match before we think of anyone else. We’re just excited to be playing Oklahoma State.”
With only three losses the entire season ““ to No. 4 Baylor, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 12 USC ““ the Bruins feel they have proven themselves as one of the nation’s top teams, especially after avenging the loss to the Trojans with a 4-3 win at home to end the regular season.
However, UCLA will have to deal with a draw that may be different from what they wanted or expected not only in the round of 16, but potentially in the quarterfinals as well, where they will likely take on the nation’s top seed, Georgia, if they advance.
“At first when we looked at the draw, we saw that and thought it wasn’t the best situation, but then when you think about it, you want to play the best teams, even if it is in the quarterfinals, and we feel we can compete with them,” senior Philipp Gruendler said.
KOHLLOEFFEL GETS BIG
ACCOLADES: Senior Benjamin Kohlloeffel has gotten a lot of attention and won many awards in his time in Westwood. On Tuesday, the German-born Kohlloeffel added to his trophy case by taking home Pac-10 Player of the Year honors. The award is voted on by coaches throughout the conference.
The award comes after a year of praise, with Kohlloeffel having collected a record five Pac-10 Player of the Week honors.
The senior has put up commendable numbers, becoming UCLA’s career singles wins leader this season, despite only playing three seasons.
He also went out in style in his final Pac-10 dual, scoring the deciding point in a close 4-3 UCLA win over rival USC that captured the Bruins’ fourth consecutive Pac-10 title.
This season he owns a 31-3 record, is 23-1 in dual matches, and has dominated in Pac-10 duals with a clean 7-0 record.
Heading into the postseason, he has a standard to keep up to. A year ago, Kohlloeffel captured the NCAA singles championship, and heading into this year’s draw he is seeded fourth.
BRUIN DUO TOPS THE PAC-10:
Besides winning Pac-10 Player of the Year, Kohlloeffel is also one half of the Bruin duo that brought home
Pac-10 Doubles Team of the Year honors. Kohlloeffel and fellow German-born Bruin Philipp Gruendler won the conference award for the second consecutive year. This season the duo owned a 26-2 overall record, and they are ranked 14th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
The pair won their first 20 matches, and are one of only two Pac-10 teams to get a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
With reports from Bobby Gordon, Bruin Sports senior staff.