It’s been a quick start to the season for the Bruins.
After last weekend’s sweeps of Marshall and Kansas State, No. 1 UCLA women’s tennis (2-0) only had three days before hosting Loyola Marymount University (1-1) on Thursday.
The effects of fatigue didn’t escape senior Chanelle Van Nguyen – one of the two UCLA players who played singles and doubles in both of the back-to-back matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
“Well, my legs are really tired now ’cause we haven’t had a day off,” Van Nguyen said after Sunday’s win over the Wildcats.
Although coach Stella Sampras Webster said she would dedicate the Monday after opening weekend as a rest day for her players, the Bruins have also found an alternative solution that could help them deal with fatigue throughout the course of the season.
UCLA fielded a total of nine players against Marshall and eight against Kansas State. Sampras Webster said the reason behind letting that many players to the courts was to give her newer players the chance to gain some competition experience early in the season. The UCLA coach also acknowledged that the Bruins’ depth is one of the strengths of the team this year, and could be the key when exhaustion or weakness settles into some of her more experienced players.
“A couple of players could maybe have some pain, and we can rest them so they can be healthy,” Sampras Webster said. “Everyone’s just prepared to play, and when their name’s called they’re going to be ready. It’s nice to have that flexibility in a team to be able to rest people.”
Freshman Kristin Wiley said getting the exposure of playing both singles and doubles matches at the collegiate level over the weekend has helped acclimatize her to the experience of representing UCLA.
“I’ll be a bit more confident just to be walking on the court again, not for the first time,” Wiley said.
Although the tennis players had a day off on Monday, the rest of the week will not progress at the same leisurely, pace – and it’s not just because of Thursday’s faceoff with LMU.
The Bruins will be heading to Charlottesville, Va., on Tuesday for the ITA Division I National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, which takes place from Feb. 6-9. The week leading to their matchup against the Lions will be the last chance to prepare for the Bruins’ first major tournament of 2015, and Sampras Webster said she plans to take advantage of that.
“We’re gonna train through,” she said. “This is a good week for us to work pretty hard, ’cause next week we’ll definitely taper down.”