Usually, when a program loses three of its top players, it
becomes weaker. The opposite, however, could be said of this
year’s UCLA women’s tennis team.
One year ago, a senior-less Bruin team made a run to the NCAA
finals where it lost to second-seeded Stanford.
By the summer though, starters Lauren Fisher, Jackie Carleton
and Feriel Esseghir had all left the program, and the Bruins seemed
to be entering a rebuilding mode.
But according to coach Stella Sampras Webster, the biggest
difference between this year’s team and last year’s
will not be their level of play, but rather the quality of their
team relationships.
“I don’t think losing them has affected the team
very much,” Sampras Webster said. “We’re still a
great team. We may even be better.
“The team chemistry has been better, and there will be
less drama and hopefully less issues. Our players will be able to
get along and just play instead of having distractions.”
Fisher, who graduated at the end of last year, decided to forgo
her last year of eligibility to turn pro. Meanwhile, Carleton and
Esseghir transferred to Duke and Northwestern, respectively, after
Sampras Webster revoked their scholarships due to attitude-related
problems.
Despite the untimely departures, the team’s remaining
players are taking the transition in stride while welcoming in a
bevy of talented freshmen who will fill the vacancies in the
lineup.
“It wasn’t expected,” senior Sarah Gregg said
regarding the three players’ departures. “But teams
change, people graduate, you just have to move on.”
Helping to ease the loss of the aforementioned players is one of
the strongest freshmen recruiting classes in the nation, headlined
by Beverly Hills native Riza Zalameda, who begins at the No. 2
position in the lineup for the Bruins.
“I think we’re just better than last year,”
Sampras Webster said. “We may have lost a little experience,
but the youth that we do have will push our upperclassmen and
challenge them. They’re working better together as a
team.”
Zalameda, who is ranked ninth in the nation, and fellow freshmen
Elizabeth Lumpkin and Tracy Lin, along with redshirt freshman Alex
McGoodwin, have already dramatically altered the team’s
personality.
“(The freshmen) have a lot of energy, and it’s a
positive atmosphere,” Gregg said. “Maybe last year was
a little bit louder.”
Zalameda and returning sophomore All-American Daniela Bercek,
who is ranked No. 20 in singles, will lead the Bruins. And while
the two top spots are solidified, the last six are up in the
air.
“From three to eight, we’ve got players who can all
play,” Sampras Webster said.
“Depending on how things go during the season, we’ll
determine how the lineup goes. Everyone’s had good wins and
losses, so nothing’s been finalized.”
The most likely candidate to fill the third spot will be Gregg,
one of the team’s most consistent players over the past few
years.
Gregg, though still feeling the effects of an offseason torn
ligament in her right wrist, is expected to make an impact this
year.
“I’m going to feel a little bit of pain, but I can
play through it if I’m smart about when I play (in terms of
practice),” Gregg said. “I don’t know if it will
linger throughout the season.”
The Bruins will also welcome McGoodwin back to the court this
season still sustaining a persisting stomach pull from early last
season.
As in the singles lineup, the doubles teams will be anchored by
Zalameda and Bercek, who rank as the No. 5 doubles team in the
nation.
Instead of breaking her tandem apart to balance out the three
doubles teams, Sampras Webster believes that using her top players
together gives her team the best chance to win.
“We’ve thought about mixing them up,” Sampras
Webster said. “But we feel very confident with our first
team. They can compete with anyone. If we have to make adjustments,
we will, but right now it’s all about the team.”
Being “all about the team” seems to be this
season’s theme after last year’s surprising yet
tumultuous season.
With energetic freshmen, Sampras Webster is confident that her
team can leave last season’s troubles behind.
“If the team is on the right page and everyone has the
right attitude, we can do a lot this year,” Sampras Webster
said.