COLLEGE STATION, Texas “”mdash; Things certainly weren’t
all positive for the UCLA men’s tennis team on Sunday. Even
though the Bruins secured an impressive 4-1 win over No. 2 Virginia
in the NCAA quarterfinals, seniors Kris Kwinta and Chris Lam both
had trouble with the stifling 95-degree heat on the courts. The two
Bruins received treatment for cramps suffered during their matches
Sunday night, but are expected to be ready to go today. Lam was
able to finish his third set, losing 7-5, 1-6, 6-1 to Treat Huey,
while a trainer was attending to Kwinta when the outcome of the
match was decided. He was tied 1-1 in his third set at the time,
and he may not have been able to continue his match. “This
kind of weather is just kind of indicative to cramping up,”
UCLA coach Billy Martin said. But there is one advantage to the
intense heat for the Bruins. Normally, players are a little bit
tighter the day after cramping up, but with the weather expected to
approach 100 degrees again today, it shouldn’t be much of a
problem for Lam or Kwinta “All these guys have cramped before
and they know what it’s about,” Martin said.
“It’s to be expected, really.”
HE LIKES IT HOT: The only Bruin who hasn’t been bothered
by the heat is senior Luben Pampoulov, who seems to be handling it
better than anyone else. Pampoulov defeated Tennessee’s Mark
Dietrich at the No. 1 singles position by a score of 6-2, 6-0, in
the Round of 16, and he won 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday. “He’s
actually the only guy who loves the weather,” Ben Kohlloeffel
said of his teammate. “The hotter the better for him, for
some reason.” The conditions have been so severe so far this
week that the players have been sitting underneath umbrellas
between games and took 10-minute breaks to cool off between their
second and third sets on Sunday. But Pampoulov is not complaining.
“The heat is really hot,” he said, “but
it’s the same for everybody.” Said Kohlloeffel,
“As long as he’s playing his best tennis under these
conditions, it couldn’t be better for us.”
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bruins face third-seeded Ole Miss (25-3), a
4-2 winner over Georgia, in today’s semifinal match. The two
teams last met in the semifinals of last season’s National
Team Indoor Tournament, with UCLA emerging with a 4-3 victory. In
that match, former Bruin Tobias Clemens won a three-set match over
Mississippi’s Catalin Gard at the No. 1 singles position to
seal the victory. Gard, now a senior, is currently ranked No. 4 in
the nation. “We know they’re a good team,” Martin
said. “But I certainly don’t think we’re out of
the ballpark. We have a chance. “I think they have to respect
us and know that we’re a good team, too.” This is the
fourth straight season UCLA has advanced to the semifinals, but it
hasn’t won a team title since 1984. Martin has yet another
chance today to advance to that final step. “I’m
excited just to have a chance to play them to get to the NCAA
finals,” Martin said.