At first glance, the scoreboard that overlooks the top three
courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center appears to have displayed
the same score at the end of all three women’s tennis matches
so far this season: 7-0 in favor of UCLA.
After taking a closer look, however, many differences can be
pointed out.
Not once have the Bruins (3-0) used the same lineup in singles
or doubles, and this held true Thursday when the team played host
to Rice.
Coach Stella Sampras Webster experimented with a new doubles
team and a new singles lineup, hoping to find the optimal
combinations.
Against Rice, the new doubles duo of junior Alex McGoodwin and
freshman Anna-Viktoria Lind got off to a quick start at the No. 2
position, taking a 7-2 lead, but they were unable to convert on a
match point, allowing the Owls pair of Medeja Egic and Kimberley
Patenaude to get back into the match.
Meanwhile, the Bruins’ No. 1 team of sophomore Riza
Zalameda and senior Laura Gordon found themselves in a struggle
against the 30th-ranked tandem of Blair DiSesa and Alanna
Rodgers.
Shortly after sophomore Tracy Lin and freshman Ashley Joelson
gave the Bruins a quick 1-0 lead in doubles with an 8-2 victory,
both remaining matches were tied at 7-7.
The veteran team of Zalameda and Gordon was able to capture the
next two games, clinching the doubles point and taking the energy
out of a Rice team that was attempting to pull off an upset.
“It was a struggle, yet with us having better doubles
teams overall, we just needed to pull that one out,” Zalameda
said.
“At one and two doubles, we knew that they could pull it
out,” Joelson added.
Upon capturing a doubles point that ended up being harder to
claim than it would have seemed at first, the Bruins went into
singles play with momentum, while the Owls appeared to be
dilapidated after expending much of their energy while trying to
take advantage of the Bruins’ weakness.
“I think that’s an area we really need to improve
on,” Sampras Webster said of the team’s persistent
struggles in doubles play.
Once singles play was underway, all memories of the hardships
from earlier in the day were quickly forgotten as the Bruins rushed
to early leads in nearly all their matches.
Lin wasted no time in capturing the Bruins’ second team
point with a 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 2 singles position, with
Joelson finishing just minutes later to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead
over the Owls.
McGoodwin sealed the Bruins’ third consecutive victory
after posting a 6-3, 6-0 performance over Rodgers.
As Pac-10 play begins to approach for the Bruins, each match has
served to ready the players and help them adjust to playing dual
matches.
“Each match is going to help us build up and get stronger
out there on the court and help us feel more comfortable,”
sophomore Elizabeth Lumpkin said.