With four key players gone and an early-season loss to Fresno State already in the books, the women’s tennis team has slipped far below its national runner-up status of last year.
This weekend, No. 21 UCLA (2-1), coming off a 6-1 win last week over St. Mary’s (1-3), has a chance to regain some of its national prominence when it hosts No. 26 Northwestern (1-2) on Sunday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
“(Players) know the importance of this weekend and we expect it to be much tougher (than last week),” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “We are finally getting some players healthy and the players are motivated. Things are going to get better and better.”
UCLA will attempt to string together its first win streak of the season after cruising past Saint Mary’s Jan. 29. But the Bruins understand the Wildcats will provide a formidable battle Sunday.
“They are a top team and they raise your level of play, but it gives us an opportunity to see where (we) stand against better opponents,” said sophomore Kristin Wiley.
UCLA has played well against Northwestern in previous years, accumulating a 4-1 record against it since 2007, including a 4-0 sweep last year in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern began its season by upsetting then-No. 22 Arizona State before falling to then-No. 11 Oklahoma State in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend indoor qualifier. The Wildcats then narrowly lost to No. 14 Duke at home Sunday.
Northwestern, led by the nation’s No. 7 doubles pair of sophomore Alex Chatt and redshirt sophomore Maddie Lipp, may be the toughest opponent the Bruins face before conference play arrives in March, but senior Laura Luca said the Bruins are not intimidated by the Wildcats’ national ranking.
“They have a good team, but we’re still UCLA and have a lot of confidence going into matches,” Luca said. “Even if I have an off day, I will stay out there, stay positive and not lose my focus.”
While Sampras Webster said this week’s practices have been more intense than previous ones, she also noted that she has kept her players’ health in mind.
“We need to do more and we want to do more, but it is a matter of (players) having a healthy body to do it,” Sampras Webster said. “They need repetition and need to compete in practice, so we are trying to get our players to do that on a more consistent basis.”