Seeing red, men’s tennis must get by Bears
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 18, 1996 9:00 p.m.
Friday, April 19, 1996
No. 1 Bruins try not to look ahead to Saturday match-upBy Mark
Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
They have been the top two teams in the nation all season and
they have set the standard for the rest of the country to match.
And this Saturday at 1:30 p.m., the top-ranked UCLA men’s tennis
team and second-ranked Stanford square off in the teams’
regular-season finale at the LATC.
Before the renewal of this heated rivalry, the undefeated Bruins
must take on ever-dangerous California and its potent No. 1,
Michael Hill, today at 1:30 p.m. at the LATC. With the Cardinal
looming the next day, UCLA will fight to stay focused on the
Bears.
"We’d be foolish to look past Cal," UCLA head coach Billy Martin
said. "They have a great team and (Hill) is as good as any No. 1 in
the nation. It gives us a match after our layoff. We’re not going
to underestimate Cal."
Saturday’s match gives the Bruins a chance to turn the tables on
the Cardinal, who defeated UCLA in all three of last season’s
matches. The Bruins lead this year’s series 2-0, and are looking to
corral the benefits that come with sweeping their biggest rival and
moving onto the pedestal occupied by the Cardinal.
"It’s hard to go into NCAA’s having lost to the same team three
times and expect to beat them," Martin said. "We had to do that
last year and it’s tough. We have everything to prove. Stanford and
USC have set the standard in men’s tennis over the last decade.
We’ve been good, but nothing spectacular."
As if they needed any more incentive, Saturday’s match gives the
Bruins (21-0) a chance to snap a painful streak in which they have
lost their last two home matches to the Cardinal, including a
heart-breaking 4-3 loss last season.
"They’ve beaten us twice in a row at home," Martin said. "That
really gets my dandruff up, and I hope it gets the team’s dandruff
up. We’re really expecting a great match."
The Bruins are also looking to subject the Cardinal to the
rigors of playing on the road, a hard pill that UCLA choked down at
the Farm. There will be a series of sweatsuit giveaways and serving
competitions during the match to entice fans to the last match of
the season.
"We’re looking forward to a great crowd," Martin said.
"Hopefully a lot of the student body and all of the people who have
supported us this year will come out."
Saturday’s match gives the Bruins a chance to turn the tables on
the Cardinal, who defeated UCLA in all three of last season’s
matches.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
UCLA’s No.1 player Justin Gimelstob and the men’s tennis team
hope to complete a sweep of Stanford this year when they face off
Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
