Home courts give team edge

The No. 11 UCLA women’s tennis team is going into this weekend hoping to show how well they can do against two ranked teams, No. 16 Arizona State and No. 5 Baylor. The Bruins host the Sun Devils on Thursday, before heading to Waco, Texas to face the Bears on Saturday.

UCLA feels they are up for the challenge, however, having more confidence after defeating No. 10 USC last week in a close 4-3 match at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

“We are definitely going to take advantage of (our home court),” coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “We love playing on our own courts.”

This is the third Pac-10 matchup that the Bruins have hosted. Freshman Carling Seguso really enjoys the home atmosphere that the season has had so far.

“I actually think it’s a really good advantage,” Seguso said. “I think playing at home gives me the confidence. I know now (after the USC match) that I can come back and win after losing the first set.”

Yet Sampras Webster does not want the team to get too comfortable playing at home.

“I am looking for the same intensity that we had against USC,” Sampras Webster said. “It is a big match for us. They are a very well-coached team. Their No. 1 player is top-five in the country, and they are a very experienced team. We need to come out ready to play.”

Last year, Arizona State was able to win an early season match against the Bruins 4-3 in Tempe, Ariz., before being swept 7-0 when playing at LATC.

This means the Bruins are aware that the Sun Devils may be out for revenge, and that they need to be on their toes.

“We had a really dominant performance when we played them the second time,” sophomore Andrea Remynse said.

“I think they are going to come back to UCLA and try to beat us, or at least put up a good fight.”

Saturday’s match provides the Bruins with another chance to raise their position in the rankings by beating a team ahead of them.

Despite playing so far from home, the Bruins are positive that they can turn this experience into a positive one, as every match against a possible NCAA Tournament team will help improve their chances once that all-important May competition rolls around.

“We are going to be tested against Baylor, because I know that they have a great home crowd,” Sampras Webster said.

“It will be a good experience for our freshmen to see what it’s like. They are ranked higher, so it is a huge opportunity for us.”

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