Sneaking up on the rest of the NCAA Tournament field won’t
be so easy for the UCLA women’s tennis team this year.
Opposing teams know all about the Bruins, especially after their
surprising run to the NCAA Finals a year ago.
This year, 10th-seeded UCLA will begin the postseason on its own
court when it faces unseeded Illinois State in the first round on
Friday afternoon.
That match will be preceded by Washington v. Long Beach State at
the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the winner of which could
potentially play UCLA in the second round.
It’s a very similar position to where the Bruins began
last year when they upset USC, Miami and Clemson before falling to
top-ranked Stanford in the championship match.
“I think we’re even stronger than last year,”
UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “All we have to do is
show up and play our best.”
To repeat last season’s success, the Bruins (15-5) will
have to navigate a surprisingly similar path.
UCLA will again host an NCAA Regional, again is on a collison
course with the Trojans in the Sweet 16, and again will likely need
to get by No. 1 Stanford to have any hope of winning the title.
And once again, few tennis experts give the Bruins much
chance.
“But no one expected us to make it to the finals last year
either,” UCLA’s Daniela Bercek said. “We want to
get back there.”
UCLA had been playing its best tennis at the end of the season,
defeating fellow NCAA teams USC and California, and absorbing a
narrow loss against Stanford.
A month-long break may have stolen some of that momentum, but it
has also allowed them to rest up and get into better shape.
“We’ve been really working hard with our strength
and conditioning and they’ve responded well,” Sampras
Webster said. “It’s not always the best team that wins,
but it’s the team that’s in the best shape.”
Another advantage the Bruins have over many other teams is
experience.
Three of the six players in UCLA’s lineup, including
Bercek, junior Laura Gordon and senior Sarah Gregg, have all played
in the NCAA Championship match last year.
That trio has helped guided the inexperienced players by telling
them what to expect and how to adjust to tournament action.
“They’ve given us insight about how tough the
tournament is going to be,” freshman Riza Zalameda said.
“They told us what it’s like being the
underdogs.”
The Bruins will look to Bercek to set the tone for all their
matches with her solid play at the top spot. The sophomore finished
the final four matches of the season with four convincing
victories, three of which were over top-10 opponents.
“I think Bercek can beat any No. 1 in the country,”
Sampras Webster said.
The freshmen will also be counted on to show that they can
handle big matches like seasoned veterans.
“I definitely feel like I have to prove myself,”
Zalameda said. “I just need to go out there and get
wins.”
Sampras Webster, on the other hand, doesn’t feel like the
freshmen need to prove anything.
“They’ve proven that they can play at a very high
level,” Sampras Webster said. “I’m extremely
confident with the team we have now.”