Women’s Tennis vs Baylor on March 10, 2011 at LATC.
March Madness’ Sweet 16 may be as salivating as it gets for many college sports fans. But as far as women’s tennis is concerned, its own NCAA Championship round of 16, at best, presents an offering closer to sour, a mere morsel that fails to satisfy an appetite for excellence.
“I’ve always expected us to make the Final Four. As a player I always made the Final Four, so that’s where I want UCLA to be, and where (the program) should be. Once we make that Final Four, anything can happen,” coach Stella Sampras Webster said.
The program has feasted on early round NCAA Tournament opponents in recent history: UCLA has advanced to at least the round of 16 in each of the past 10 seasons. The Bruins have progressed even further in all but four seasons during that span. Last year’s squad was the fourth team in 10 years to fulfill Sampras Webster’s goal. UCLA’s semifinal finish against eventual champion Florida broke a two-season streak in which the Bruins did not reach the round of eight.
This weekend’s Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas caters to the Bruins’ hunger for a Final Four level of competition. The tournament features players from all teams ranked above UCLA: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 North Carolina. The event, which includes seven Bruins competing in singles and four pairs in doubles, runs today through Sunday. Freeman Memorial serves as the final tuneup before dual match play begins against UC Irvine on January 25.
“(The competition) is a good start to the season, and a good warm up for what’s to come this spring. It’s a really competitive tournament,” senior McCall Jones said. Jones, the ITA’s No. 62 singles player, will play in singles and doubles competition this weekend.
A gathering of tough schools in Las Vegas previews what figures to be a trying season for UCLA, thanks to the loss of key veterans in combination with the adjustment time expected of the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class. Sampras Webster believes a continued increase in parity within college tennis will accompany the Bruins’ personnel issues as challenges this year.
Jones and Carling Seguso are the only seniors on a team that lost two top-100 singles players to graduation: Andrea Remynse and Noelle Hickey. Those departures also affect doubles play, as Hickey and Jones were rated the No. 22 duo in the country, while Remynse and sophomore Courtney Dolehide formed 2011’s No. 23 pair.
According to Sampras Webster, her graduating class of 2011 will be missed in immeasurable ways. “Our experience really helped us last year. (The seniors) were great leaders for the team and brought the team back to where it should be.”
Despite the losses, women’s tennis maintains the same preseason ranking that it had last year.
Such consistency in the standings speaks to the abilities of three returners ranked as top-100 singles players and the Bruins’ most highly regarded crop of freshmen since 2007. UCLA went on to win the 2008 NCAA Championship with the 2007 recruiting class.
Sampras Webster believes that though she finds her squad loaded with talent, the team’s youth will provide early season obstacles that, while inevitable, can be handled.
“Until (the freshmen) understand the responsibility they have, we’re going to have a tough time. Getting everyone on the same page will take some time,” Sampras Webster said.
“We’ve had this situation before, having a young team. There are going to be things that freshmen have to learn, growing pains of what it takes to be a Bruin.”
While Sampras Webster recognizes how young players need time to grow, freshman Robin Anderson holds a wealth of junior tennis experience that eases her transition to college-level competition and alleviates the pressure on her to perform. “I know there might be some high expectations, but I just put them to the side,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s fall season play served up some impressive showings that earned her the No. 8 singles player ranking. In October, she and fellow freshman Skylar Morton captured the doubles title at San Diego’s USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships. They also won the consolation championship at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in November, and are currently the ITA’s No. 12 doubles team. As a singles player, Anderson reached the consolation bracket’s final round.
The freshman relishes her chance to contribute to UCLA’s storied program. “It’s an honor to play and compete as a Bruin. Hopefully I can help make some history.”
Anderson’s first stab at furthering UCLA tradition comes during a year that holds the same promise that returners saw at the end of last season.
“It was really hard to lose last year,” said Jones, who got her first taste of NCAA Tournament action in 2011. Our team had so much potential to win the tournament, so getting another chance is a dream.”
Dolehide echoed Jones’ sentiments, and recognized how she and her teammates are licking their chops in anticipation for a chance to seize an opportunity that the 2011 team left on the table.
“We got so close to winning (the championship) last year, and really got a taste of what it’d be like. We’re all really hungry and excited that we can win it this season.”