In a year that ended in heartbreak, the start to the off-season
hasn’t been
any better so far for the UCLA women’s tennis team.
Sophomore All-American Daniela Bercek, who anchored the Bruins
at the top singles position the last two years, will transfer to
Duke, Blue Devil coach Jamie Ashworth announced.
The departure comes less than a month after the Bruins’
season-ending loss
to USC in the NCAA Round of 16, a match in which Bercek provided
the most
decisive win in singles for the Bruins.
Bercek had been contemplating leaving since at least as early as
that loss, but refused to officially comment on the issue. Her
teammates were surprised that she had even considered
transferring.
“She didn’t tell us too much, so I don’t know what to
say,” freshman Riza Zalameda said last week. “It’s just
between her and the coaches. It’s hard to imagine.”
Neither Bercek nor UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster returned
phone calls for this article.
Bercek, who won the NCAA doubles championships as a freshman,
posted a
14-5 record in dual singles matches this year. Ranked 10th at
the end of the year, she provided numerous clutch wins during her
two seasons in Westwood. Last year, she did not drop a match during
the Bruins’ run to the NCAA finals, scoring the most memorable win
in a three-set victory over Miami’s Megan Bradley that moved UCLA
into the semifinals.
In doubles, Bercek teamed with Zalameda in 2005, finishing the
year with a 15-3 record at the top spot and a No. 4 ranking.
“She’s a very good partner,” Zalameda said.
“She’s very compatible. It’s going to be hard to make up
for.”
Losing a player of Bercek’s caliber is not entirely a new
phenomenon to
the program. Three years ago, Bradley left UCLA after her
All-American freshman year to be closer to her personal coach in
Miami.
Bercek becomes the sixth starter in the last four years to leave
the
program early, and though the reasons have all seemed to vary,
it’s nevertheless a trend that has forced Sampras Webster to bring
new players into the mix every year.
Two years ago, Susi Wild, a No. 3 singles player, quit tennis
after her freshman year and returned to her native Germany
according to the Bruin coach. Last year, the Bruins lost a trio of
starters. Sophomores Jackie Carleton and Feriel Esseghir both had
their scholarships revoked because of attitude-related problems,
while redshirt junior Lauren Fisher opted to graduate with a year
of eligibility left.
Bercek will now join Carleton at Duke, a team that lost to North
Carolina in the NCAA Regionals this past year. She will likely play
the top spot for a Blue Devil team that lost just one senior from
its starting lineup this past year.
The Bruins are also losing just one senior from the 2005 season.
But once again, the lineup will shift because of an underclassman
leaving.