No. 4 men’s tennis looking to roll over unranked UOP
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 19, 1995 9:00 p.m.
No. 4 men’s tennis looking to roll over unranked UOP
By Mark Singerton
The fourth-ranked UCLA men’s tennis team hopes to rebound after
a lackluster Pacific-10 indoor season when it hosts unranked
Pacific Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. It will be the
first dual match of the season for the Bruins, who hope to get back
to form in the first of a series of tune-up events.
The Tigers head into the contest unranked but more importantly
the No. 4 Bruins are playing their first dual match of the year and
the focus will be on solid team play.
"Right now, it’s just a matter of getting the kinks out," senior
Lev Shvarts said. "I think the problem is mental as well, knowing
that we haven’t played a lot of tennis yet. And any time you step
out on the court when you haven’t played much, the other guy is
probably going to have an edge."
But Pacific will enjoy few advantages against UCLA. They’ve
recently made the transition from a Division II to a Division I
squad, but have compiled a mere 9-15 mark under head coach Kevin
Sverduk, who begins his second year at the helm. But before their
recent move, the Tigers were a solid contender.
"There’s no question about it," UCLA head coach Billy Martin
said. "They have some good players. But we’re concerned with our
own team right now. We’re still a bit rough around the edges."
Indeed, the Bruins lack of play in the early season, coupled
with last week’s downpour has left the rust on the Bruin
machine.
"We’ll get there," senior Robert Janecek said. "We lost some
close matches (at the Pac-10s) and any time a few points makes the
difference, I think it’s an indication that we just need a little
more time."
