Tuesday, 5/13/97 Bruins prepare for championships W. TENNIS:
Young team earns No. 4 spot, ready to play Tennessee first
round
By Christie DeBeau Daily Bruin Contributor The 1997 NCAA Women’s
Tennis Championships is the event that every team works towards all
season long. Although it seemed like it would never arrive, the
tourney is now in the short-term picture, as the pairings were
announced on Monday. UCLA is among the top 16 teams in the nation
competing in the tournament running May 15-23 at Stanford. The
Bruins are seeded No. 4 and will play their first-round match
against Tennessee on May 15 at 10:30 a.m. Should the Bruins advance
to the second round, they will play the winner of the Texas-Arizona
matchup. Other teams in the Bruins’ bracket include Florida,
Michigan, Mississippi and Arizona State. "It is a pretty good
draw," UCLA head coach Stella Sampras said. "We have never played
Tennessee, but I am sure they will be strong. I would rather play
them than a Pepperdine or William and Mary. If we play Arizona (in
the second round) it is going to be tight, but we have done well
against them in the past. However, we will go out there and play
our best tennis, (no matter) whoever we play." Last year, the
Bruins tied for third in the championships. However, with a team
composed of mostly freshmen, UCLA will have to play like a veteran
team to win. In addition to team competition, individuals and
doubles tournaments will also be played. Four Bruins will be
competing in the 64-player singles draw – sophomore Kati Kocsis and
freshmen Elizabeth Schmidt, Annica Cooper and Katia Roubanova.
Those four Bruins will also participate in the 32-team doubles
tourney. Schmidt and Roubanova will comprise one team representing
UCLA, while Kocsis and Cooper will also team up. Kocsis has lead
the Bruins this season and is ranked No. 11 in the spring edition
of the ITA National rankings. Kocsis finished her first season as a
Bruin with an overall record of 21-15. Schmidt, who plays No. 2 for
UCLA, is ranked No. 35 and has an overall record of 26-16. Cooper,
playing at No. 3 for the Bruins, has the most victories on the
team, with an overall record of 31-12. The 1997 All-Pac-10 Southern
Division Tennis Honors recognized Kocsis for the women’s first team
and Schmidt for the women’s second team. Junior Kelly Rudolph is
the second alternate in the Bruins’ region. Rudolph, the team
captain, is ranked No. 74 with a record of 22-9. From mid-season
on, Rudolph posted a 13-match winning streak for UCLA. GENEVIEVE
LIANG/Daily Bruin Katia Roubanova and the UCLA women’s tennis team
begin the NCAA tournament against Tennessee on Thursday. After the
team tournament is completed on Sunday, Roubanova will go on to
participate in the singles and doubles tournaments.