UCLA women’s tennis needs a smash ending
By Jason Wang
April 15, 2010 10:17 p.m.
The last time the UCLA women’s tennis team faced rival USC, it threw out the record books, disregarded the standings and rankings and concentrated solely on defeating the Women of Troy.
Today will be no different.
The No. 7 Bruins (18-3, 5-1) will host the No. 16 Women of Troy (13-7, 5-1) in their final home match of the regular season today at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and they are hoping to close their schedule on a very strong note.
In addition to the expected intensity that comes with all rivalry matches, this match holds major playoff implications. Today’s outcome will break a three-way tie for second place in the Pac-10, help decide the conference champion and possibly determine which school hosts the first round of the NCAA Regionals.
But even with so much on the line, the Bruins are simply focusing on the task at hand.
“Every time we play them, it’s just a war,” UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “The team that is better prepared and is playing better that day is usually the team that wins.”
Earlier in the season, the Bruins stormed into Trojan territory and were able to squeak out a close win in USC’s David X. Marks Tennis Stadium, 4-3. But while that victory certainly helped the Bruins’ ranking, only the outcome of today’s match will count toward conference records. The Women of Troy have the opportunity to exact revenge and claim a share of the Pac-10 crown with a victory.
“They’re going to come in here thinking that (they) should have won that last match at their home,” Sampras Webster said. “They’ve been playing well, and they too have a lot on the line.”
The Bruins have a chance to sweep the Women of Troy for the first time since 2008, a season in which they defeated USC three times en route to a national championship.
Today’s match will be especially important for the Bruins’ lone senior, Yasmin Schnack, who was a part of that championship team. This will be her final regular season home match and possibly her last match against USC.
“I think it’s Yasmin’s time,” Sampras Webster said. “She’s had some tough, close matches with a lot of top players this year. I know she wants to finish her home match season on a strong note.”
In the first match against USC, Schnack lost narrowly to Maria Sanchez, the No. 3 singles player in the country, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6.
Sampras Webster also noted that this match is important for the two freshmen, Pamela Montez and Stephanie Hoffpauir, and has taken extra measures to prepare them for today’s match.
“They’ve never played a home rivalry match with this much on the line,” Sampras Webster said. “But they’re doing everything they can to prepare. We’re letting them know what to expect.”
The two freshmen held their ground at Marks Stadium, as Montez won in straight sets and Hoffpauir lost a very close match against a ranked opponent. But despite the team’s success at USC’s home courts, the Bruins prefer the LATC. When playing in front of a home crowd, the Bruins have attained a 13-1 record and have yet to lose to a conference opponent.
“It’s always exciting to play at home and to have that atmosphere,” Sampras Webster said. “To play ‘SC at home … it’s why you come to play college tennis. You just love the spirit.”
The Bruins are still in contention for the Pac-10 title, but they will need more than a victory for a shot at the crown. Current conference-leader Stanford would need to lose its final match against Cal to create a three-way tie for first place. UCLA would then play Cal and USC would play Stanford to make up for their canceled matches.
But the Bruins are not relying on the outcomes of other matches, nor are they relying on their past success or any specific advantage to propel them to a victory today.
“‘SC is going to come with all their guns and be ready to go into a war against us.” Sampras Webster said. “We’re just going to have to do the same.”
