Bruins look to bust streak of mediocrity
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 3, 1998 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 4, 1998
Bruins look to bust streak of mediocrity
WTENNIS: UCLA hopes to redeem recent losses in matchup vs.
Broncos
By Jared Hummel
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s tennis team hopes to rebound from a loss to
Pepperdine in its matchup against the Boise State Broncos
today.
The Broncos are 5-4 this season, fresh off a two-match losing
streak in which they fell to University San Diego, 5-4, and San
Diego State, 6-3.
Boise State is currently ranked 63rd nationally and features
seniors Gayleen McManus, ranked 52nd, and Manon Buskens, ranked
90th.
Last Friday’s loss at Pepperdine capped off a two-week stretch
of mediocre play for UCLA, dating back to Feb. 19 against William
and Mary at the U.S. Tennis Association-Intercollegiate Tennis
Association Tournament in Madison, Wis.
In addition to the losses to William and Mary and Pepperdine,
the Bruins fell to No. 9 Mississippi in Madison – a string of three
losses in four matches.
Injuries have plagued UCLA since the first game of the season.
The loss of No. 1 player sophomore Amanda Basica, who is regarded
as one of the top collegiate players in the nation, accompanied
with the lingering effects of a stress injury to sophomore Katia
Roubanava, have greatly hindered the No. 2-ranked Bruins.
"I think (the tournament) put everything into perspective for
us," sophomore Annica Cooper said. "We have to just keep it in our
minds that it’s the injuries – it’s something that’s in the past
and we can’t really think about it as anything that is an indicator
of how our team is going to do at the NCAAs."
Despite UCLA’s recent struggles, they still own a 7-4 mark and a
perfect 5-0 record at home. Today’s match should give the Bruins an
opportunity to gain momentum for their big match on Saturday
against USC and an even bigger match vs. the fourth-ranked
University of Texas on March 9.
The Bruins hold a 1-0 advantage over the Broncos in the short
history of this match-up.
