ATHENS, Ga. “”mdash; The UCLA women’s tennis team is right where it wants to be and up against the team that it wants to face at this stage in the NCAA Championships: No. 1 Stanford.
After capturing a 4-3 win over No. 4 Florida in the quarterfinals, the No. 12 Bruins made history by becoming just the second ever 12th-seeded team to advance this far into the tournament.
“We don’t care who we play,” senior Alex McGoodwin said, who clinched the quarterfinal win for the Bruins. “We’re feeling really good right now and we honestly feel like we can beat them.”
And though the thought of a No. 12 seed toppling a No. 1 seed ““ one that has been at the forefront of women’s tennis for the last several years ““ may be considered outrageous by some, the Bruins have proven twice already this season that they are indeed capable of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
During the regular season, the two Pac-10 schools met twice, and though the Cardinal captured two 4-3 decisions, UCLA had match points in the first meeting that it was unable to convert on.
“We were so close the last two times, and now we know what we need to do,” junior Riza Zalameda said. “Now we have momentum and now we have confidence.”
But the Bruins won’t be underestimating the talent of the defending national champions, expecting the match to be a tough one, as was their win in the previous round over the Gators. All six Stanford singles players are ranked in the top 100 in the nation, four of whom are in the top 20.
Rankings have meant nothing for UCLA though, as they have shown that mere rankings won’t determine the winner of a match throughout the NCAA Championships.
In fact, the Bruins realize they are likely the one team in the tournament that no one wants to face, considering the streak they have been on and the quality of tennis they have been playing.
“I don’t think that anyone in the draw wants to play us right now,” junior Tracy Lin said. “Stanford is a great team, but now I’m sure that they view us as a big threat, and we’re just ready to beat them.”
Since the last dual match meeting at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the Bruins have improved their doubles play; Stanford has witnessed it first-hand in the Pac-10 Championships in Ojai, when Zalameda and freshman Yasmin Schnack posted the most one-sided win in the championship match against the top Cardinal team of Lindsay Burdette and Anne Yelsey, 6-1, 6-0.
“I’m always confident playing with (Zalameda) on the court because I know she’s so good at the net and I just need to get a couple of balls in and let her take care of the rest from there,” Schnack said.
Though the Bruins aren’t sure of what courts they will perform best on to capture wins in singles, the team feels confident in one another and knows that they are capable of winning at least three singles matches up and down the lineup on any given day against any given team, including today’s semifinal opponent.
When the two teams meet this afternoon, UCLA will be looking for its third consecutive victory over a team that has dealt it losses in the last year, having already defeated No. 5 Northwestern and Florida in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, respectively.
“It feels like the draw was made for us to get back at all these teams that we’ve lost to recently,” Lin said. “Victory is sweetest when it’s revenge, and that’s what this tournament is all about for us.”