The UCLA women’s tennis team continued one streak and
ended another in Saturday’s home match against Oregon.
By defeating the Ducks 6-1, the Bruins (7-5, 1-1 Pac-10)
captured the doubles point for the sixth consecutive match while at
the same time snapping their two-match losing skid.
Unlike their past two matches against Texas and USC, the Bruins
were able to follow up strong doubles play with equally impressive
singles matches.
“We beat them in doubles easily,” Sarah Gregg said
of her and Daniela Bercek’s 8-1 doubles victory over Davina
Mendiburu and Ester Bak. “It put doubt in (Mendiburu’s)
mind in singles.”
Gregg’s 6-0, 6-2 singles victory over Mendiburu on court
four was typical of the Bruin’s landslide victories on the
three backcourts. Lauren Fisher knocked off Jamie Marshall 6-2, 6-0
at No. 5 and Laura Gordon beat Anna Leksinska 6-4, 6-1 at No. 6 to
give the Bruins a quick four points for the team victory.
“We knew after their USC match they weren’t as
strong,” coach Stella Sampras Webster said of the Ducks, who
lost to the Trojans 7-0 a day earlier.
However, in the team’s practices leading up to the match,
Sampras Webster was worried the Ducks could extend the
Bruins’ losing streak and keep them winless in the Pac-10.
Oregon came down to Southern California with a 9-3 record and No.
23 ranking, but they now leave it with the realization of how far
they are from being among the Pac-10 elite.
“We had expected a tougher match,” Sampras Webster
said. “It’s scary because they do have the
talent.”
Although that talent was not apparent in the bottom half of the
lineup, the Ducks did present UCLA with more of a challenge in the
top half. Feriel Esseghir had a tight first set on court two before
picking up her game in the second set en route to a 6-4, 6-1
victory over Courtney Nagle.
Bercek, playing singles for the first time since injuring her
left foot against Pepperdine two weeks ago, also rebounded strongly
in her second set to defeat Dominika Dieskova 3-6, 6-3, (10-7) at
the No. 3 spot.
“I changed my game in the second set and became more
patient,” Bercek said.
Waiting for Dieskova to make mistakes was particularly difficult
for her because of the cyst in her foot. Growing up in Europe
playing on clay surfaces, she feels the difficulty of adjusting to
the American hardcourts contributed to her injury.
“It’s still bothering me,” Bercek said.
“I was scared to step off the foot.”
The Ducks picked up their only point on the first court, where
seventh-ranked Daria Panova overcame Jackie Carleton’s second
set comeback to win 6-2, 7-6 (4). The loss marks Carleton’s
fourth in a row.
“Jackie’s struggling with her confidence,”
Sampras Webster said. “Every athlete kind of goes through
that. She’s our No. 1 player and we have confidence
she’ll pull through.”
When she does, it will be a pleasant end to another streak.