At this point, records don’t matter.
Opponents don’t matter.
Petty little injuries don’t matter.
It’s NCAA Tournament time, and there’s really only
one thing to be concerned with ““ winning.
A loss now means the season is over, and it could potentially
happen anytime to the fourth-seeded UCLA men’s tennis team.
The Bruins begin first-round action Saturday at home against Oral
Roberts, and the nerves are beginning to set in.
“I’ll have butterflies and anxiousness,” coach
Billy Martin said. “I always get it before competition.
That’s the nature of the beast, and that’s why I love
it.”
All things considered, UCLA (18-5) should have very little
trouble with Oral Roberts (6-13). The Golden Eagles began the
season 0-11 and only made the NCAA Tournament by winning the
Mid-Continent Conference tournament.
“I’m not even thinking about the possibility of
losing (to Oral Roberts),” sophomore Chris Surapol said.
That’s because the possibility probably doesn’t
exist. UCLA is currently riding a nine-match winning streak which
included wins over five top-25 teams.
Perhaps the only thing that could keep UCLA from advancing to
the Sweet 16 in Tulsa, Okla., is a major mental lapse.
“Lineup-wise, I think we’re the best team in the
country,” junior Alberto Franics said. “If we play
well, no one should beat us.”
If the Bruins do indeed get past the Golden Eagles on Saturday,
they will face the winner of Fresno State and Pepperdine on Sunday.
The Bulldogs and Waves will also meet in the first round at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center on Saturday.
Martin feels UCLA will almost certainly face Pepperdine in the
second round.
“We’ll have to play very well to beat
Pepperdine,” Martin said. “They’ve beat some good
teams, and they might have their best tennis left in
them.”
The Waves (18-8) have played a difficult schedule this season,
losing once to No. 1 Illinois and twice to second-seeded USC. They
won the West Coast Conference for the 15th straight season.
“We’re not going to fear them, but we’re
certainly going to respect them,” Martin said.
Most of all, the Bruins are just ready to get going.
It’s been three weeks since the team played its last dual
match, a 7-0 victory over California. The players have since
competed in the Pac-10 Individual Championships, but even that was
two weeks ago.
“We’re tired of practice,” Francis said.
“We’re ready to compete.”
The team that will be competing in this NCAA Tournament is
markedly different from last year’s squad. Four starters from
last year’s semifinalists are no longer with the team.
Surapol is case in point. Last year, the Bruin sophomore
didn’t know the NCAA Regionals are a part of the actual
tournament. But now that he is competing, teaming with All-American
Tobias Clemens at No. 3 doubles, Surapol understands the
importance.
“These are huge,” Surapol said. “If we slip
one time, our dreams of getting this team to the national title are
gone.”
The Bruin lineup has Clemens at No. 1, Luben Pampoulov at No. 2,
Chris Lam at No. 3, Francis at No. 4, Kris Kwinta at No. 5 and
Philipp Gruendler at No. 6.
In Martin’s tenure as a coach, which began as an assistant
in 1984, UCLA has never failed to advance to the Sweet 16.
“We’ve been practicing, and we’re ready to
start,” Martin said. “No excuses.”