The UCLA men’s tennis team looks to remain undefeated as it takes on Saint Mary’s College on Saturday in Moraga, Calif. and Pac-12 opponent Stanford on Sunday.
The Bruins are taking no match lightly, but their main concern this weekend will be defeating their conference rival the Cardinal, which coach Billy Martin said he feels is the tougher of UCLA’s two upcoming opponents.
The match against St. Mary’s is not only important in itself, but will help UCLA get mentally prepared to take on Stanford the following day.
“I want us really ready for the Stanford match – so much so that we are going up to play a match the day before just to help us prepare” said Martin.
Regardless of Stanford’s past record and talent level, the storied rivalry between UCLA and Stanford tends to bring out the best in both teams.
“Over the years we’ve had some great battles with Stanford,” Martin said. “We definitely don’t want to underestimate them.”
Last year’s match against Stanford, which UCLA won 5-2, showed the Bruins the importance of keeping the competitive fire burning, regardless of the opponent.
“We ended up having a really tough match up there last year. We just didn’t take them seriously,” Martin said. “I want the guys to know that this match is going to be a real dogfight.”
The Bruins understand that remaining undefeated requires that players bring their best every week, and this weekend is no exception.
Freshman Mackenzie McDonald said that the team is expected to play with energy and a competitive attitude every match.
The Bruins are also expected to practice hard in order to keep their skills sharp enough to play at a consistently high level.
“Everyone has been working really hard,” said freshman Gage Brymer. “I think we’ve done a good job staying focused in practice and getting ready for these matches.”
With UCLA’s high level of talent and work ethic, Martin expects much success for the Bruins.
“I don’t think we’re going to lose a lot of matches,” said Martin. “I have high hopes for this team.”