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Women’s tennis looks to sharpen individual skills at Kramer Classic

The Kramer Classic is one of the fall tournaments where UCLA women’s tennis coach Stella Sampras Webster will get to focus on her individual players who are participating in the tournament, such as senior Kaitlin Ray. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Conor Cusack

Oct. 30, 2014 12:00 a.m.

For a handful of members of the women’s tennis team, the Kramer Classic on Thursday is a chance for each player to hone her skills in anticipation for the upcoming season.

Coming off a national title last year, the Bruins are not showing signs of a championship hangover early into its fall competition.

“They’re always working to grow in their game, develop their game, to get better and to improve,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster, “It’s all about improving, it’s a process.”

The Bruins said that process has to start somewhere.

“I think we’re just trying to set a good foundation for spring, just getting the match play in,” said sophomore Kelly Shaffer.

The fall features only individual play as opposed to team play in the winter and spring. During the team season, which starts in January, only the top six players on the team represent UCLA in matches, so the fall is a time for every player to gain match experience that will carry over into the season. The Kramer Classic on Thursday is one such opportunity for these players.

“In the fall we try to build a base. Physically, I think their fitness is important. We try to give them a foundation for the season, so that what we do in the fall will help them in January,” Sampras Webster said.

Freshman Terri Fleming, sophomore Shaffer, junior Kyle McPhillips, and senior Kaitlin Ray will be competing on Thursday.

The Kramer Classic at the Jack Kramer Club in Palos Verdes is an individual, invitational tournament that will feature players from all over the country, including ones outside of the Pac-12. The team said the purpose of these fall tournaments is to put the attention on each player who is working on specific aspects of her game.

“For me, it’s just being aggressive and, make it or miss it, just going for the right shots,” Ray said.

Focusing the attention on the individuals instead of the team in the fall is the approach Sampras Webster has always taken, and it has been proven to work for last year’s national champions. The Bruins have won two NCAA titles and have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA championships in 17 of the 18 seasons Sampras Webster has been head coach.

But the Bruins said recent success is not going to let them lose sight of how important readjusting to the new year and building on their skills are.

“Obviously we had a great season last year, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” Ray said, “the important thing is that we’re all doing the right things out here, and committing to our style of play.”

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