W. tennis ready for first dual match
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 24, 1996 9:00 p.m.
W. tennis ready for first dual match
UCLA team plays Lions of Loyola Marymount today
By Hye Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff
With great expectations, the UCLA women’s tennis team embarks on
a quest to capture the elusive NCAA championship this afternoon by
facing Loyola Marymount in the season’s first dual match.
In the preseason warm-ups that led up to this afternoon’s match
with the Lions, the seventh-ranked Bruins have looked sharp. Last
week at the Pac-10 Indoor Tournament, All-Americans Keri Phebus and
Stephanie Chi each captured singles titles in the top-two levels of
competition. Phebus also teamed up with first-time partner Paige
Yaroshuk to claim the top doubles title.
UCLA’s performance at the Pac-10’s was especially impressive
considering that it outperformed No. 3 Stanford and No. 6
California. However, the Pac-10’s was an individual tournament and
UCLA’s depth still remains a question mark as it enters the
regular-season dual match format.
This afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center,
the Bruins will get their first chance to perform as a team against
LMU, a team UCLA has dominated over the years. The Bruins hold an
all-time record of 3-0 against the Lions, and last season the
Bruins hammered LMU 9-0. On paper, the Lions appear to be the
perfect first opponent of the season, but this year’s version of
the Lions remain a mystery to the Bruins, and thus pose a threat
due to the element of surprise.
"I really don’t know much at all about Loyola," UCLA assistant
coach Stella Sampras said. "I don’t know any of their players. I
just know their coach."
Jamie Sanchez, who is in his 21st year as head coach of the
Lions, leads a team that has been less than spectacular in the
preseason. In eight preseason tournaments, the Lions have
accumulated an overall singles record of 29-29. The winningest
player on the squad is Laura Gross, with a record of 9-6.
On the doubles side, the team of Mara Colaizzi and Anna Zaricki
pose the most dangerous threat to the Bruins. In 12 matches,
Colaizzi and Zaricki have won 10.
For UCLA, this afternoon’s match will help the coaching staff
hammer out an uncertain lineup. In it, Phebus, Chi and Yaroshuk
will likely occupy the top half of the singles lineup, while Kelly
Rudolph, Anicia Mendez and newcomers Brandi Freudenberg and Jody
Anglin figure to see action in the bottom half of the order.
"It’s going to be a good match just to get us into the dual
match format," Sampras said. "We have two freshmen and it’s going
to be their first college dual match. So, I think it’ll be
especially beneficial for them."
Daily Bruin File Photo
Anicia Mendez and women’s tennis take on LMU this afternoon.
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