Team set for red-letter day vs. No. 1 Cardinal

Friday, April 17, 1998

Team set for red-letter day vs. No. 1 Cardinal

MEN’S TENNIS: UCLA hopes to turn tables on Stanford and Cal

By Stephanie Chan

Daily Bruin Contributor

"The day." That’s what the No. 2 UCLA men’s tennis team will be
looking for going into this weekend’s matches against No. 28
California and No. 1 Stanford. What is "the day"?

"On a given day we could beat Stanford. That’s what’s so great
about sports. We have our great day, and they have their bad day,"
said UCLA head coach Billy Martin.

Stanford proved its dominance when the Bruins visited Palo Alto
earlier this season. The Bruins were swept by the Cardinal, 7-0.
The Cardinal sweep is nothing new. In all of its dual matches this
year, they have only given up two points: one to Georgia and one to
Arizona State.

Stanford’s stats are filled with "0’s," including their overall
record, 22-0. Only Stanford’s No. 9 Bob Bryan has given up a match
in singles dual match play. The lineup is potent, carrying four
players who have held Stanford’s No. 1 position, No. 9 Bryan, No.
13 Mike Bryan, No. 38 Ryan Wolters and No. 45 Paul Goldstein.

"We’re just gonna try and play some good tennis, and be
courageous and almost a bit fearless," said Alex Decret, "We got
beat 7-0, but the way the matches were played they didn’t seem
overwhelmingly better."

Cal has learned all about "the day" for the past two weekends.
April 17 and 18 were the Bears’ days, as they swept the L.A.
schools for the first time in 25 years. Two days out of the three
were pulled out of the Bears’ hands last weekend, losing to
Stanford and being upset by No. 54 Arizona.

"I think we have a good chance of beating Cal. We should have
beaten them up there," said Decret.

"I think we will be very enthusiastic about playing well and
trying to get a little bit of redemption going because our trip up
to San Francisco was lousy."

The Bruins may not be seeking revenge against the same team they
faced up north. Cal’s top two players, Bobby Mahal and Nathan
Jackmon, are not in top shape, pulled down by injuries. Then again,
it was Cal’s 4-6 players that secured their previous win over
UCLA.

The Bears may be looking at a different UCLA team as well, with
Brandon Kramer and Jason Cook progressively playing better after
coming off injuries.

"The bottom line and the good line is that Kramer and Cook are
playing better. … We need them to be wining matches at 5 and 6,
which they haven’t been able to do yet," said Martin, "They are
playing better. They are working hard. Their best tennis is yet to
come."

Perhaps one of the biggest factors on the side of the Bruins
this weekend will be home sweet home, the Los Angeles Tennis
Center. The Bruins are thus far undefeated at home, 8-0. The road
is a different story. The Bruins’ away record is 3-6.

These two matches could prove crucial going into the NCAA
Championships. Though the Bruins have not fallen out of the top 10
in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings, they have
been struggling against top 30 teams. The Bruins boast a 13-6
record overall, but only a 2-6 record against teams in the top
30.

The Bruins now have a chance to improve that record with No. 1
Stanford and No. 28 Cal.

"I think the guys should be very up to getting some payback,"
said Martin.

UCLA’s No. 1 player Jean-Noel Grinda is ready.

"I feel very pumped up because, personally, I had a very bad
weekend last weekend," said Grinda. Last weekend, Grinda lost both
of his matches at Washington and Oregon.

The Bruins will have to come out to compete this weekend, if
these are to be "their days."