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W. tennis causes racket

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 25, 1996 9:00 p.m.

W. tennis causes racket

Despite loss, Bruins score big individual wins in tournament

By Hye Kwon

Daily Bruin Staff

Playing under the national spotlight, the UCLA women’s tennis
team had a great chance to prove its skills at the National Indoor
Tournament in Madison, Wisc. this past weekend. After the four-day
tournament was all said and done, and in spite of the disappointing
loss to the No. 1 team in the country, the Bruins had succeeded in
establishing themselves as a force to reckon with down the
road.

In the first round, the Bruins spanked South Carolina with a 7-0
win. The Lady Gamecocks were ranked No. 12 in the country, but on
Thursday morning against UCLA, they barely resembled a team worthy
of such high ranking. UCLA’s Keri Phebus easily defeated Heather
Greene 6-0, 6-1, and Paige Yaroshuk beat Celine Regnier of USC,
6-3, 6-2.

The Bruins ran out of luck as they faced No. 1 Florida in
quarter-finals the next morning. UCLA (8-2 overall, 2-1 in
conference) was actually up 2-0, but the Gators ran off five
straight victories en route to a 5-2 win.

In addition to Phebus’ victory over third-ranked Jill Craybas,
Stephanie Chi’s upset victory over No. 13 Divya Merchant was the
bright spot for the Bruins. As huge as the win was, Chi wasn’t too
interested in celebrating the win afterward.

"It was a good win for me, but it was just another match," Chi
said. "Plus, this was a team tournament and individual wins don’t
mean too much."

The loss to the Gators placed UCLA in the consolation bracket
where they met Georgia Saturday morning. In a rematch of the 1995
National Indoors finals, the Bruins avenged the previous loss with
a 6-1 victory over the Bulldogs. Phebus led the way with a 6-2, 6-4
win over Tina Samara at the No. 1 spot, while her doubles partner
Paige Yaroshuk recorded a 7-6, 6-2 win over 17th ranked Anne
Chauzu.

The win over Georgia would surely mean a couple of things for
UCLA. When the next poll comes out, the Bruins should ascend from
their No. 7 spot. But more importantly, the win will give the team
an added dosage of confidence for the remainder of the season.

"I thought we fared real well in the tournament and against
Georgia," Chi said. "We have a strong enough team to compete at the
national level and we certainly proved it."Comments to
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