Weekend matches fail to bring team out of slump
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 11, 2001 9:00 p.m.
Miami d. UCLA 4-3 Texas d.
UCLA 5-2
By Jason Saltoun Ebin
Daily Bruin Reporter
It was an exciting weekend for the slumping UCLA women’s
tennis team (3-9, 2-0 Pac-10). The Bruins saw some needed change in
their doubles lineup, battled a former UCLA women’s tennis
player-turned-coach at the University of Miami, and witnessed the
return of No. 1 singles player Sara Walker.
On Saturday, Miami (8-3), coached by former Bruin All-American
Paige Yaroshuk, came into Westwood and spoiled Walker’s
return to singles. Walker had been out since Feb. 10 with a stress
reaction in her left foot.
After Miami’s 4-3 win over the Bruins, Yaroshuk said,
“It’s touching for me to be coaching against them (my
former coaches).”
The Bruins got off to a slow start, losing two of the three
doubles matches to lose the one point.
In singles, UCLA picked up its play, led by Walker at No. 1. She
finished first, taking out senior Alana Broderick 6-2, 6-3.
At No. 2 and 3 singles, juniors Catherine Hawley and Petya
Marinova, respectively, scored the other two Bruin points of the
day.
After freshman Mariko Fritz-Krockow and senior Jennifer Donahue
fell at No. 5 and 6, the match was tied at 3-3 and came down to
freshman Lauren Fisher at No. 4.
“I was just trying to work every point and get every ball
in play,” Fisher said after the match. “It’s hard
to lose a match when it’s tied 3-3.”
Fisher, however, could not pull out a win against junior Marcy
Hora. Hora won the first set 6-0 and dropped the second 6-3, but
came back to win the third and decisive set 6-3. The win clinched
the match for Miami.
Still, UCLA Head Coach Stella Sampras saw some positives from
that match. “I was really pleased with Lauren ““ she
competed so hard,” she said. “These last two matches
she is learning a lot about how to compete.”
But the Bruins did not have time to lament the loss. Sunday they
played the No. 5 Texas Longhorns (8-1), who were looking to avenge
their loss to the Bruins last year in NCAAs.
The Bruins got off to a strong start, sweeping all three doubles
with No. 1 and 2 posting convincing wins.
At No. 1 the team of Marinova and Fisher had been producing
solid wins all season, but with the No. 2 team of senior Zana
Zlebnik and Walker sidelined, the new No. 2 and 3 doubles had been
unable to post consistent wins.
However, with Walker back in the lineup and Zlebnik still out,
Sampras changed up the doubles teams against Texas and Miami. She
put Walker and Fritz-Krockow together at No. 2 and Donahue and
Hawley together at No. 3. The switch worked to perfection against
Texas as all three doubles teams came up with a win, and the Bruins
took the first point.
But UCLA’s success was limited to doubles as the Longhorns
took five of six singles matches to claim a 5-2 win.
The Bruins head into conference play this weekend as they take
on Arizona State Friday and Arizona Saturday. Both schools will be
looking to avenge their losses to UCLA earlier this season.
