The UCLA women’s tennis team will head to the Bay Area
this weekend, looking to avenge 6-1 losses to No. 1 Stanford and
No. 5 Cal.
However, unlike its previous matches this year at LATC, these
results will count toward the Pac-10 standings. Currently, the
Bruins are No. 5 in the Pac-10 (4-2) and ranked No. 22 nationally.
However, a win over one of these highly ranked teams will help
their ranking and lift their confidence as they head into the
Pac-10 Championships next week.
“Cal’s vulnerable right now,” head coach
Stella Sampras Webster said of the Bears, who lost this past week
to No. 28 Arizona.
In their previous match against Cal, the Bruins appeared
destined for victory after taking the doubles point and four of the
first six singles sets.
The team’s play, however, plummeted at the end, with no
player winning another set. The next day against Stanford, the
Bruins were unable to recover from a slow start and picked up their
only point when Jackie Carleton closed out the match with a win
over No. 16 Lauren Barnikow.
But Carleton will not travel with the team this weekend because
she is still suffering from shin splints. Fellow freshman Feriel
Esseghir, whose first singles match this season came against the
Cardinal, will look to fill the void. Esseghir, who normally plays
doubles with Carleton, may team up with Anya Loncaric to complete
the lineup which includes Sara Walker and Laura Gordon, and Sarah
Gregg and Susi Wild.
Gregg has been nursing a hamstring injury, but is expected to
play both doubles and singles.