Men’s tennis faces No. 1 Oklahoma in NCAA round of 16
Freshman Austin Rapp will likely play Oklahoma freshman Spencer Papa at No. 5 singles in the round-of-16 match against the top-ranked Sooners. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin)
By Korbin Placet
May 14, 2015 2:06 a.m.
The UCLA men’s tennis team could very well be playing its last dual match of the season Thursday as it faces the NCAA tournament’s heavy favorite.
The No. 16 Bruins (17-9, 5-2 Pac-12) will compete against the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (26-2, 4-1 Big 12) in Waco, Texas, in the NCAA tournament’s round of 16.
“This is the only thing that matters to us right now,” said freshman Austin Rapp. “Our goal all year was to make it here and do some damage in Waco.”
UCLA carries some momentum into the matchup, having blanked both Florida Gulf Coast and Texas Tech in the first two rounds of the tournament. In their win over the Red Raiders, the Bruins swept the back three courts, an area where they have struggled to find wins this season.
“I think we are in a good position going in – winning the back courts is really good,” said junior Karue Sell. “Plus we’re not the favorite this year so there is a lot less pressure.”
Oklahoma is currently playing its best season in the school’s history. The Sooners have held the No. 1 ranking for nine straight weeks this season and it is the first time they have ever earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Oklahoma’s two losses this year came against No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 19 Texas Tech. Coincidentally, UCLA just beat Texas Tech in the second round of the tournament.
Coach Billy Martin said he has been telling his players all week that since they beat the Red Raiders twice this year, they certainly can beat the Sooners.
Oklahoma ousted UCLA last year in the NCAA semifinals 4-2.
The Sooners haven’t changed much since last year’s meeting. They have four players from their singles lineup returning from last year. The Bruins, on the other hand, look completely different this year. They will only have two returning players from the previous meeting, sophomore Mackenzie McDonald and Sell.
“I am going to play the same guy as last year, so I am pumped for that. I lost 7-6 in the third set,” Sell said. “It is going to be fun to have a rematch.”
The marquee matchup on Thursday will be on court one, where the nation’s No. 1 singles player, Oklahoma’s Axel Alvarez Llamas, will face off against No. 3 McDonald.
Llamas has a 21-0 record this year while playing both at No. 1 and No. 2 singles in the Sooners’ lineup. McDonald is 14-1 for the year playing at the No. 1 singles position all year. His lone loss came at the hands of the nation’s No. 2 singles player, Baylor’s Julien Lenz, 6-4, 6-2. Llamas has beaten Lenz twice this year, both times in straight sets.
Martin said his team is healthy and prepared for what Oklahoma is going to bring. He said he is more worried about the weather. The last couple of days, it has been raining on and off in Waco. The current forecast reads there is a slight chance of rain, which means the dual match will have to be moved to indoor courts, an area where the Bruins have struggled compared to northern and eastern schools.
“We’ve got nothing to lose in this Oklahoma match. We can play loose – everybody expects us to lose. You know, as a competitor, you kind of like to be in that position,” Martin said. “All the pressure is on them, and none of it on us.”
Upsetting the Sooners will make Martin one of the winningest coaches in college tennis with 500 wins.
