It’s the little things that matter, and the UCLA women’s tennis team knows it.
In the midst of a two-week pause from any form of competition, the longest such break the Bruins have had all season, players and coaches are making it a point to focus in on even the smallest aspects of their daily routines.
From maintaining intensity at practices to ensuring players survive midterm season, not one area of an athlete’s daily agenda can be deemed so inconsequential that it can be ignored.
And the goal of all this meticulous preparation? Simple: to win a national championship this May.
In just a week’s time, the Bruins will begin their journey toward capturing an NCAA championship by hosting one of the 16 regional qualifiers, in which only a single team can emerge and punch its ticket to Athens, Ga., for the third round.
In order to get to Athens, however, the team must focus on what it does off the court as much as what it does on it.
“I am definitely trying to get ahead on schoolwork so I don’t have to worry about that this upcoming week,” said senior Courtney Dolehide. “I’m also just being extra strict about sleep, making sure I get enough sleep, making sure I get enough treatment in the training room by stretching and ice baths and making sure I’m on top of everything because I want every ounce of energy for the tournament.”
Although UCLA (21-2) can claim a home-court advantage for the first two rounds of the tournament, coach Stella Sampras Webster is making a point of ensuring her players don’t fall into a debilitating comfort zone. The devil is in the details, she said.
“All that studying they need to do is important to focus on, and also that they’re getting enough sleep, eating well, hydrating, those are the type of things we’re focusing on to help us get ready for when the tournament starts so we won’t have to worry about anything physically hurting us in the tournament,” Sampras Webster said.
This week and next, the team’s practice schedule reflects its pledge to focus on details, with Tuesdays and Thursdays devoted to individual workouts in which each of the starting seven players can focus on specific aspects of her game.
Junior Robin Anderson, the team’s top singles player, acknowledged that the independent workouts with assistant coach Laura Gordon have been really important, helping her regain her aggressiveness and move past rough starts from previous matches.
In the coming weeks, the Bruins’ detail-oriented approach will be put to the test as they look to earn their program’s second national title.
UCLA draws No. 5 seed in NCAAs
The recently released women’s tennis NCAA tournament draw placed UCLA as a surprising fifth seed in the tournament despite the Bruins holding the No. 1 national ranking as judged by NCAA.com.
“I think everyone’s a little shocked and surprised that we dropped to No. 5, but overall, I’m happy with our draw,” Sampras Webster said. “I’m happy that we’re not playing any Pac-12 schools.”
The draw gives UCLA a first-round matchup against Sacramento State (12-16), which, despite a losing record, found its way into the NCAA tournament field with a victory over Montana in the Big Sky Conference championship.
Regardless of the seeding, however, the Bruins know their shot at national title glory lies in their own hands, not with the luck of the draw.
“When it comes down to it, our seeding doesn’t really matter as long as we can get past our first and second rounds and get to Athens,” Dolehide said. “In Athens, anything can happen.”