Tuesday, February 4, 1997
W.TENNIS:
Top player Schmidt nursing injured ankle, but may play against
No. 8 PepperdineBy Christie DeBeau
Daily Bruin Contributor
After an easy victory against Washington State and a week’s
break from matches, the UCLA women’s tennis team is ready for some
competition.
They’ll get plenty today.
The Bruins (1-0) will battle eighth-ranked Pepperdine at 1:30
p.m. in the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The seventh-ranked Bruins will need to be playing at full
strength in order to calm the Waves of Pepperdine. However, one of
the Bruins’ top players, Elizabeth Schmidt, is questionable for
today’s contest.
Schmidt has been taking it easy in practice, but head coach
Stella Sampras believes she will be able to play both her
matches.
"We have been taking it really slow," Sampras said. "We want her
ankle to heal and so she is starting to go full-out right now and I
think she will be able to play both singles and doubles. I just
don’t know whether to keep her at two or take her down to three or
whatever. It’s just a matter of where we feel Elizabeth can
win."
Because of Schmidt’s injury, Sampras is uncertain of the lineup,
but is counting on freshman Annica Cooper to possibly fill in
Schmidt’s spot at No. 2.
"Annica keeps getting better and better and we expect her to
continue to do well," Sampras said. "She’s won a lot of matches. I
hope that she can step up if we put her at two. I believe she can
win at two."
In addition to Schmidt’s twisted ankle, the Bruins will also
have to battle tough competition, something the team has not had to
face yet this season.
The match against the Waves is an important one for the Bruins,
as the Waves are ranked just behind UCLA.
"We are ranked seventh and they are ranked eighth, so it’s a
match that is a good test for us this early in the season," Sampras
said.