“That’s my Chanelle,” said Letty Van Nguyen, pointing toward her daughter on the court. “She’s the one stretching on the left. She’s so fun to watch.”
Letty Van Nguyen had been sitting in the hot sun for four hours, eyes glued to the court, cheering endlessly. She had come to watch her daughter, junior Chanelle Van Nguyen, compete with the UCLA women’s tennis team in an early April match.
She had flown all the way from Miami and planned to stay in California for nearly a month, visiting family and spending time with Chanelle.
After the team, including her daughter, defeated their opponents, Letty stood next to court four, patiently waiting and watching as they stretched, talked and laughed together on the court. She waited as they walked in the locker room for more stretching and ice baths. She had traveled a long way and would wait as long as it took to finally see her daughter.
For the players, their journey to Athens, Ga., for the NCAA championship tournament beginning this week marks an exciting time for not only them, but for their families as well. This will be the first time all season that many of the players compete in front of their families as Bruins.
Because the majority of the UCLA players competing in the NCAA tournament are not from California, their families are unable to travel to see them play during the regular season. However, most of the players’ families will be traveling to Athens to support them during the most important matches of the year.
“(Letty) likes to surprise me,” Chanelle Van Nguyen said. “She’ll always be yelling, ‘Come on!’ It’s so funny. She gets really into it.”
In Athens, family support will be especially important to the Bruins, as only a select number of players will be competing. Because the entire team is not traveling to the tournament, it will be up to the players’ families to keep morale high.
“For us, it’s always nice to have that support there,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “The energy that they bring can really add to the energy of our players.”
On the courts, though, it will be important for the Bruins to stay focused on the other side of the net and not on their cheering fans on the sidelines. While having family there for support can be a boost of energy, Sampras Webster said family can also bring about a boost of nerves or added pressure.
Between team dinners, practice and matches, the Bruins won’t have much time to spend with their families. But for the team, just knowing they are watching from the stands is enough. On the court, the team is family.
“We look to the people playing next to us on the singles court, or your doubles partner or the coaches, and that’s what our support is on the court,” said senior Courtney Dolehide.