M.Tennis ready to rally with Anteaters

Tuesday, April 9, 1996

Bruins hope to keep focused after big win against StanfordBy
Mark Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

Only a few days removed from the biggest match of the season,
the top-ranked UCLA men’s tennis team has been called to arms yet
again as UC Irvine comes to town.

Riding the crest of its heart-stopping defeat of Stanford, which
marked the first Bruin defeat of the Cardinal at the Farm in 10
years, UCLA crashes headlong into the No. 23 Anteaters today at
1:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Though not of the same caliber as Stanford, Irvine has certainly
put on some impressive performances this year, including a defeat
of 15th-ranked California, en route to a 9-5 record. This fact has
the Bruin staff worried, as any drop in their level of play could
mean trouble for the undefeated Bruins.

"After a big match like that, we’re concerned about a letdown,"
UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "This is a good team and they
are going to be ready to come up. They’ve had a pretty darn good
season and a win over us could push them up to the top 15 in the
country. I don’t think we can underestimate them and we need to be
ready."

It has been common practice for the Bruins in years past to
lower their level of play when a weaker opponent stands opposite.
For this year’s team, this trend has been reversed and a maximum
effort has been employed for each and every match. Although the
Anteaters don’t pose as significant a threat as teams that the
Bruins will face down the road, the focus today will be to keep the
level of play at a lofty place.

"I’m not worried about Irvine, I’m worried about our guys
staying tough mentally," Martin said. "Our motto all season has
been for the guys to play at their level and the best of their
ability. If they’re playing someone who isn’t as good a player,
they just go through their match and if they win easily, great.

"We’re striving for everyone to go out and play at their level,
their high expectancy and with that we know that should mean a
win."

A key element under scrutiny today will be the team’s doubles
play. Although the Bruins boast the No. 1 doubles team in the
nation in sophomore Justin Gimelstob and senior Srdjan Muskatirovic
and the 45th-ranked team of juniors Eric Lin and Jason Thompson,
they have been struggling of late, getting swept by Stanford and
losing to Pepperdine.

With a rigorous few weeks ahead, the Bruins will have to
rejuvenate their once-dominant doubles teams.

"It’s gotten a little stale for the guys, playing lots of
doubles sets in practice," Martin said. "I don’t think they really
get stimulated by that. We want to do a lot more drills that
simulate doubles but aren’t doubles so the guys are fresher going
into their doubles.

"Our doubles is not good, but that doesn’t mean we’re not a good
doubles team. We are a good doubles team and we’ve shown that. We
just haven’t been practicing the way that we need to."

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

Heath Montgomery and the tennis team face UC Irvine today.