Netters set to tighten ‘Dogs’ collar
By Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
Two weeks and a leap in the polls later, the UCLA men’s tennis
team takes to the court to resume dual-match action today against
Fresno State. The match, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m. at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center, weather permitting, will be the first action
for the squad since they knocked off No. 1 Stanford in taking the
National Indoor championship 10 days ago.
The Bruins (12-0), who will likely assume the No. 1 spot in the
country when the new rankings come out this week, will face a tough
Bulldog team that is ranked 13th in the nation based on their 9-2
record. This is a squad that handily defeated fifth-ranked Southern
California in decisive fashion earlier in the year, and gave UCLA a
battle both times they played last season.
"This is a top team and we’re very concerned," UCLA head coach
Billy Martin said. "We’ve got to come out and compete at a high
level or else we’ll get beat."
The ‘Dogs are led by a pair of Bergh and Giers Fredericks, who
have given the Bruins fits in the past. Giers, a junior, is ranked
No. 3 in the nation.
"Those two make up as strong a one-two team as there is in the
country and they will give us a battle," Martin said.
The last time UCLA took to the courts, it was on the incredibly
quick surfaces in Louisville, and the transition back to the slower
outdoor courts is another factor compounding the coach’s concern
over this match.
"I don’t like to schedule something this hard after the
Indoors," Martin said. "The sun, the wind – it’s just really
different outdoors. The guys have worked hard in practice but they
know that it’s tough."
***
Several Bruins traveled to San Diego over the weekend to compete
in the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship. UCLA’s
second-ranked team of Jason Thompson and Eric Lin surged to the
quarterfinals before losing. The tournament also marked the first
collegiate competition for the doubles team of Alon Schwartz and
Jay Jackson, but they didn’t fare quite as well, falling, 6-1, 6-4,
as they battled first-match nerves in addition to their
opponents.
"I started off kind of nervous," Schwartz said. "As the match
went on, I played better and felt more confident out there."
After a slow start, the duo started to settle down and step up
their level of play. They were able to keep the second set close,
but couldn’t come up with a victory.
"We both started getting into a groove," Schwartz said. "If we’d
played to our potential we could’ve beaten them."
This marked the collegiate debut for Schwartz, a fact not lost
on him, even after the defeat.
"I was really excited and looking forward to it for a while,"
Schwartz said. "It was a good feeling."
Freshman Darren Miller also saw action in San Diego, teaming
with San Diego State’s Jim Ault to take a first-round victory,
before falling in the second round.
"I felt like I played sweet," Miller said. "I didn’t feel
nervous at all; it was so much fun."Comments to
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