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Best teams duel in m. tennis

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 4, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Friday, April 5, 1996

Undefeated Bruins face No. 2 Stanford in key Pac-10 matchBy Mark
Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

It is arguably the finest and most intense rivalry in men’s
collegiate tennis and it will be renewed today when the top-ranked
UCLA men’s tennis team travels north to face second-ranked Stanford
today at the Farm.

These two squads, which have defined men’s tennis over the
years, face off for the second time this season. The Bruins won the
previous meeting en route to the National Indoor title.

After this match-up, which promises to be among the best of the
season, the Bruins cross the Bay to meet California on Saturday in
their first meeting of the season.

Today’s match is one that both teams have been thirsting for, as
regular season bragging rights and the No. 1 position in the nation
are up for grabs. For the first time in a long time, Stanford, the
defending national champions, go into the match as the lower-ranked
team.

"We have a lot of matches during the year, but when you play the
best, you always feel a little more excited," Stanford head coach
Dick Gould said. "UCLA is the best and they’re playing like
champions."

The Cardinal (11-1) comes into the match boasting an
unparalleled five players ranked in the top 100 in the nation,
including two in the top five. At the helm lurks senior Jeff
Salzenstein, ranked fourth in the nation and smarting from the
pasting UCLA’s Justin Gimelstob gave him at the Indoors.

At the No. 2 position stands freshman phenom Ryan Wolters, who
has burst onto the scene in his first year to take the No. 5
ranking in the country.

"He’s done a really good job for us," Gould said. "He’s a really
good competitor. He gets the most out of his matches and he’s a
good, tough kid."

Stanford’s formidable lineup is rounded out by sophomore Paul
Goldstein, ranked 27th in the nation, 53rd-ranked Jim Thomas, who
is a perfect 14-0 on the year, No. 54 Ricky Becker and local boy
Grant Elliot, who is 78th. The actual positions that each will hold
down in today’s match are undetermined as several players are
fighting injuries.

With this lineup, Gould is looking for a closer match than the
5-2 drubbing Stanford received at the National Indoors.

"I hope we can have a representative match against them, but on
the other hand they have the capability of just blowing any team
out," Gould said. "I hope we compete well and not get too caught up
in the moment. We have a great rivalry and a high class rivalry and
both teams think very highly of each other."

The Bruins come into the match on a slightly different track,
for, instead of being the team which received the beating, as they
did both times they faced Stanford last season, they hold the
bragging rights by virtue of their victory earlier in the
season.

"I think we knocked them off of their pedestal a little bit and
now they want to get us back," UCLA head coach Billy Martin
said.

The Bruins, who have been lucky so far with regard to injuries,
will field basically the same squad they have all year. Sophomore
Justin Gimelstob will lead the team at the No. 1 position, followed
by senior Srdjan Muskatirovic and junior Eric Taino. The bottom
three will be some mixture of sophomore Matt Breen, senior Heath
Montgomery, freshman Vincent Allegre and junior Jason Thompson.

On Saturday, the Bruins will journey to Berkeley to face the
Golden Bears and their potent No. 1, Michael Hill. The Bears come
into the match ranked 15th in the nation and carry a 5-3 record.
Hill, who had been ranked as high as 17th in the nation, has
dropped to the 35th spot but still presents a formidable
obstacle.

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

Sophomore Justin Gimelstob leads the No. 1 Bruins today against
No. 2 Stanford. The team beat the Cardinal earlier this season.

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