Philipp Gruendler is tired of Ken Nakahara. And rightly so.
After three matches this season in which the UCLA men’s
tennis team faced California, the last time coming Sunday in the
second round of the NCAA tournament, many of the Bruins have become
a little too familiar with their conference foes. That’s one
reason why the NCAA Tournament is such an exciting endeavor for the
Bruins. It provides the Bruins with a host of new opponents
beginning with 10th-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to not knowing the guys I’m
playing,” said Gruendler, who lost two of three of his
matches this season to Cal’s Nakahara. “You know what
you can do, and you don’t know what your opponent is capable
of.” For many of the Bruins, that ignorance is something of a
mental advantage. Rather than attempting to mold their game around
the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent with whom they are very
familiar, each player is simply forced to play to his own
strengths. “For me it’s easier to prepare for somebody
I don’t really know,” sophomore Ben Kohlloeffel said.
“I just play my game. I don’t focus on what the other
guy is good or bad in.” That philosophy is markedly different
from the Pac-10 season in which UCLA faces the majority of teams
twice. In conference play, the Bruins usually see the same opponent
at least twice, and have a clear idea of what to expect the second
or third time around. When the seventh-seeded Bruins (23-3) face
the Volunteers (16-8), they won’t have that luxury. Or
burden, depending on one’s perspective. “It always
happens when you go to bigger tournaments,” senior Chris Lam
said. “You play teams that you’re not familiar with.
“You really just have to focus on yourself and your own team,
and you really can’t worry about what they’re doing and
what they are.” If the Bruins are fortunate enough to advance
past the Volunteers, they will face a team that they have seen
before, either Washington or second-seeded Virginia. UCLA defeated
Washington 5-0 in the only meeting between the schools this season,
while Virginia sent the Bruins to their first loss of the season at
the National Team Indoors. Another chance at beating Virginia is
something the Bruins are relishing. Familiarity will just have to
come with the territory. “We always want to play teams
we’ve lost to,” Kohlloeffel said. SOMETHING TO PROVE:
It’s easy to argue that Gruendler was one of the most
valuable Bruins in last season’s NCAA tournament. He was
undefeated in his matches that weren’t suspended, and he came
up huge in UCLA’s surprising 4-2 victory over Illinois in the
semifinals. Gruendler, who has played at the No. 6 position in each
of his two seasons with the Bruins, defeated Illinois’ G.D.
Jones in three sets to clinch the UCLA victory. But this season,
things have been different. He sat out the first eight matches of
the season while serving a suspension, and hasn’t approached
last season’s form since returning to the singles lineup.
“This is the last chance to prove myself,” Gruendler
said. “The whole year, it’s not how I am and what
I’m capable of.” The Bruin sophomore said that he is
feeling good physically, and he is ready to make another run at the
NCAA title. “It’s that time,” he said.
THE TOURNAMENT: The Bruins play at 10 a.m. PST on Saturday. The
tournament is held at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.