At first glance, it would seem that not much has changed from last January for the UCLA women’s tennis team, with the exception of a new addition to the roster. But after watching even a few minutes of practice, a new sense of confidence and ambition gleams from the courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
It comes as no surprise though, considering that the Bruins are coming off one of their most impressive seasons in the last few years, during which they reached the NCAA Championships before narrowly losing to Georgia Tech.
“A lot of times people dream about being in those situations,” UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “Having that experience, everyone’s motivated because they know that we’re good and that this team has potential to do it again and hopefully win it this time.”
The talent of the team from last season has the additional boost of freshman Andrea Remynse, who was regarded as one of the best recruits of her class and has had a wealth of experience at the junior level.
For Remynse, the adjustment to the college atmosphere and dual-match format with a focus on the team concept rather than individual results has been facilitated with assistance from her peers.
“Sometimes it takes me a little while to notice something that might be more obvious to them, but I’m definitely learning a lot,” she said.
Moreover, the Bruins return Alex McGoodwin. McGoodwin was expected to graduate at the end of last year, but a change in NCAA rules allowed her to petition for a medical redshirt in her freshman season.
“Having Alex on our team helps us so much with doubles and with singles,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s huge for the leadership of our team.”
Now, rather than having just three seniors ““ Tracy Lin, Elizabeth Lumpkin, and Riza Zalameda ““ the Bruins will have also have a fourth leader, which Sampras Webster says adds a new dimension to practice.
Sampras Webster expects her older players to push both themselves and their teammates to reach this season’s ultimate goal of a national championship.
“A lot of times you worry about seniors getting senioritis and being over it, but these seniors aren’t,” the 12th-year coach said. “These seniors want to finish out their career with a bang and win a national championship.”
It’s not just the seniors who desire the title, however. Last year’s shortcoming has fueled a fire for every member of the team.
Sophomore Yasmin Schnack, who is coming off a breakout freshman season in which she went undefeated in singles play at the No. 3 singles position looks to repeat the success of her first year in Westwood, regardless of where she winds up in the lineup.
Fellow sophomore Stephanie Wetmore feels that the runner-up finish of 2007 has very little meaning and effect on this year, as the Bruins will have to work just as hard as last season to reach the top of the women’s college tennis world.
“This year we’re going to have to start from scratch again,” Wetmore said. “I don’t think last year is any indication of what’s going to happen this year. We’re going to have to work even harder because this year is going to be just as hard if not harder.”
And the Bruins have begun to do just that, creating an intense atmosphere in practices, and pushing one another to the limits.
The cut-throat practices have had an impact on Remynse, who says she has never been around a group of girls who are as motivated and fiery.
“They’re so hungry, and it’s great because practice is so intense everyday, and everyone on this team is just so competitive and it’s awesome to have that kind of drive and hunger,” Remynse said.
Not only will practices be intense for the Bruins, but so will conference play in the Pac-10.
Last season, the Pac-10 sent three teams to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships ““ California, Stanford, and UCLA ““ and the conference will be just as strong, if not stronger, this year.
But Sampras Webster has stressed to her players that they are capable of winning every match. That is her expectation of even Pac-10 matches, and her players reflect that confidence.
“There are a lot of new players in the Pac-10, but I still feel like we’ll be the best team in the Pac-10,” junior Ashley Joelson said.
For now, the Bruins are looking forward to taking the courts on Monday ““ when they face off against Cal Poly in the first dual-match of the season ““ and using every match from that point on as a building block, and as preparation for the NCAA Championships.
“We want to go into the season from the first match on, and expect to win every match to help prepare us to be our very best in May,” Sampras Webster said.