Thursday, March 28, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

W. tennis set to devour Anteaters’ team whole

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 14, 1996 9:00 p.m.

W. tennis set to devour Anteaters’ team whole

Irvine has fresh talent, but UCLA expects sure victory as Phebus
returns from injury

By Hye Kwon

Daily Bruin Staff

Kicking off a tough weekend of tennis against three formidable
West Coast foes, the UCLA women’s tennis team will host UC Irvine
today at 1:30 p.m. at the Sunset Courts.

Traditionally, the seventh-ranked Bruins have had absolutely no
trouble against the undermanned Anteaters. The two schools have met
26 times over the years and UCLA (3-1 overall, 2-1 Pacific 10) has
gotten the better of UCI 24 times.

Last year, the Bruins notched an easy 9-0 win over the
Anteaters, who finished the season with a disappointing record of
4-18.

But it’s a whole new year for UCI, and practically a whole new
team for that matter. The Anteaters have gotten off to a 4-0 start
– the best the team has done in eight years. Ending UCI’s fabulous
start in 1988 was UCLA, which hopes to be the spoiler once again
this afternoon.

As improved as the Anteaters are this year, there’s still little
doubt that the Bruins have the edge. The Anteaters are loaded with
new talent, but most of it comes in the form of freshmen who have
limited experience.

If UCI does have something going for it this afternoon, it might
be the fact that UCLA hasn’t played a match since losing to Arizona
12 days ago.

Additionally, the top two players for the Bruins have been
hampered by injuries. No. 1 Keri Phebus sat out of the Rolex Indoor
tournament last weekend because of an unspecified medical condition
and No. 2 Paige Yaroshuk has been hampered by a stomach pull which
kept her out of the lineup against Arizona.

While Phebus, who is reportedly close to 100 percent, is
expected to make a full contribution, Yaroshuk’s status is still
questionable.

The senior right-hander has been recovering from the pull at a
steady rate, but it’s still not clear whether she will be able to
serve and hit overheads effectively in match situations.

"She’s been going easy in practices the last week and a half or
so," UCLA assistant coach Stella Sampras said. "But we had her
serving since Monday, so she should be okay."

The lineup that UCI will likely use against the Bruins consists
of four talented freshmen. No. 1 Leah Fisher is a freshman from
Torrey Pines high school in Escondido who has a record of 4-0 this
season. She is joined by fellow frosh Patty Villaroman, who has a
record of 3-1 at the No. 3 position.

UCLA will likely counter with Phebus, Yaroshuk and Stephanie Chi
at the top three spots. The bottom half will most likely be filled
by Kelly Rudolph and freshmen Brandi Freudenberg and Jody
Anglin.

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

Stephanie Chi plays at the No. 3 singles spot today against
Irvine.

Comments to [email protected]

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts