Dynasties rarely collapse overnight. They slowly decline as a
new power emerges.
In the Pac-10 women’s tennis, a handful of teams have been
clamoring to topple the Stanford dynasty for years and become that
new power. It hasn’t happened yet, and for No. 7 UCLA to make
a dent this season, it will have to play its best tennis of the
year when the Cardinal come to Westwood today.
And even that might not be enough. The top-ranked Cardinal have
won 16 straight Pac-10 titles and are well on their way to their
17th. With their entire starting lineup nationally ranked in the
top 70, the Bruins have a tall task ahead of them. Nevertheless,
Bruin coach Stella Sampras Webster does see areas where her team
can steal a point or two.
“We had a very good chance last time to win the doubles
point,” she said of the teams’ meeting two weeks ago,
when the Cardinal prevailed 7-0. “They’re also
vulnerable at No. 4 and 6.”
However, the Bruins may be hard-pressed to take advantage of
this weakness. Alex McGoodwin, who had occupied the No. 4 position
for the Bruins early in the season, did not receive medical
clearance to play for this weekend’s matches. The news was
surprising, particularly because McGoodwin has already missed two
months due to her stomach strain.
“It’s frustrating for her and for the team,”
Sampras Webster said. “With her, it would have given us more
options.”
McGoodwin’s absence could be even more consequential the
following day when the Bruins take on No. 10 Cal. Both teams will
be vying for a six seed in the NCAA tournament and Saturday’s
winner will have a much stronger case for the tournament
committee.
“It would be great if we could get a top six seed so we
don’t have to play Stanford or Florida in the
quarterfinals.”
While it is difficult for the Bruins to remember the last time
they beat the Cardinal, they need only look back two weeks to their
last victory over the Bears. However, in that 4-3 nail-biter, the
Bears’ lineup was not at full strength. With Sasha Podkolzina
expected to play at No. 5 today, the Bruins’ Lauren Fisher
will likely have a tougher match on her hands than her 6-3, 6-3 win
over Monica Weisner in the first outing.
However, her challenge pales in comparison to the one freshman
Daniela Bercek faces this weekend at the No. 1 position. Her first
full weekend at the top spot might just be the toughest she will
have her entire career, with defending NCAA singles champion Amber
Liu today and fourth ranked Raquel Kops-Jones on Saturday.
“Nina (Bercek) is playing well and has a great chance of
winning,” Sampras Webster said.
If she does, it just might signal the fall of one superpower and
emergence of another.