Now the real journey begins.Â
After disposing of Wichita State and USC in the first two rounds
of the NCAA tournament, the No. 5 UCLA men’s tennis team left
Tuesday for Athens, Ga.Â
Though it does not play until Saturday, the team is hoping that
the early departure date will help with some of the inconveniences
of travel.
“Leaving early certainly helps us,” head coach Billy
Martin said. “It’s acclimatizing that I think is the
important thing. The weather conditions are so different than here,
especially with the humidity, which is draining the first few days
you are there.”
On Saturday, the Bruins will face No. 22 Oklahoma State at 9
a.m. in the Sweet 16.
“A lot of these teams are from back there, and it’s
not going to affect them,” Martin said. “But we
need to have a crash course in the heat, with the
humidity.”
The weather forecast for Saturday predicts 79-degree heat with
72 percent humidity. “It’s really hot and humid out
there,” said Marcin Matkowski, the Pac-10 co-player of the
year. “If we get used to the environment before, we’ll
be better off.”
The team plans to have early-morning workouts Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday, as it also has to account for the time
difference.
“We also have a three hour time change,” Martin
said. “That takes a few mornings to get used to. And
we’re going to be playing a lot earlier in the day than
we’re used to.”
UCLA (22-3) will practice off-campus on Wednesday, but will be
allowed to practice on Georgia’s campus Thursday and
Friday.
While the indoor courts at the University of Kentucky gave the
Bruins trouble earlier in the season, the surface of
Georgia’s courts shouldn’t pose any
problems. Georgia’s tennis complex is outdoors.
“We’ve played in Georgia so many times, I
don’t think it will be that difficult, quite honestly,”
Martin said.
One other slight concern for the Bruins is the class they will
be missing. Those who are playing in the individual championships
in addition to the team championships could be missing as much as
two weeks of school.
“Class is always a concern, but we’re so used to
doing it that I’m not really worried about it,” Martin
said. “Everybody talked to their professors weeks ago,
and the guys will be taking books and doing homework.Â
“In some ways it’s a good outlet, to not have to
stare at four walls in a hotel room.”
For the players though, school is definitely
secondary. It’s not every day that you have a chance to
win an NCAA Championship.
“Right now school is not our concern, Matkowski said.
“Tennis is our No. 1 priority now.”
“I’m only thinking about tennis right now,”
senior co-captain Erfan Djahangiri said. “We can worry about
school when we’re done.”