Team’s record does not reflect overall progress

  NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Sophomore Sara
Walker, recently named an ITA All-American for the second
year, bends down for a hit in a match.

By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Contributor

The construction of a contender for a national title is a slow
process, one that UCLA women’s tennis team has engaged in all
season.

“This year is going to be a rebuilding year,” Head
Coach Stella Sampras said at the beginning of the season.

Looking back, her team recognizes how right Sampras was.

“That is what we did all year: we built,” junior
Catherine Hawley said. “There was no down time, it was,
“˜Gotta work on this, improve here, improve
there.'”

After graduating three seniors and losing one player to the pros
last year, the team started almost from scratch.

“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t know what
to expect,” Sampras said. “I knew we had to do a lot of
work. Each player had to improve for us to have a good season, and
we did that.”

The Bruins started the season strong, going 3-0, but when No. 1
sophomore Sara Walker and No. 3 senior Zana Zlebnik were injured,
things started to fall apart. As each player had to move up two
spaces in the lineup, the Bruins slipped into a nine-game losing
streak from Feb. 8 to March 17. Yet the team persevered by focusing
on long-term progress.

“I was challenged but playing No. 1 helped me do better at
No. 2 later,” Hawley said.

With camaraderie as their foundation, the team continued to work
hard as they waited for the results to come.

“I don’t know if other teams could have stayed
together like we did,” Sampras said. “Some coaches
would’ve just said, “˜Bag the year.'”

The team showed its spirit and closeness on and off the court.
For example, even when Zlebnik was injured she attended practice
and never brought her teammates down by feeling sorry for
herself. Like the other players, she knew what was at
stake.

“We were closer this year because we knew it was going to
be a tough season,” Hawley said. “We have to work hard
together to excel at this level.”

The Bruins’ communal determination paid off when senior
Jennifer Donahue, surrounded by her cheering teammates, won the
deciding match over Arizona on March 17. The nine-game losing
streak finally came to an end.

“Jen really pulled through for us,” freshman Mariko
Fritz-Krockow said. “To know these people are fighting as
hard as you are gives you something to fight for, you don’t
want to let the team down.”

After defeating Arizona, the team beat Loyola Marymount before
suffering a six-match losing streak. This time they snapped the
streak with a thrilling upset of then-No. 6 Cal on April 20. The
Bruins then trounced Oregon 6-1 to finish the regular season
7-17.

While the record was discouraging, the focus on progress allowed
the team to see the brighter side.

“It was frustrating but just about every match there was a
positive aspect,” Hawley said. “We were just waiting
for things to fall into place.”

That happened for the Bruins when it really mattered: in the
postseason.

The Bruins won the Pac-10 Tournament April 29 and got the
confidence boost they needed. Fritz-Krockow and Walker also took
the Pac 10 Doubles Championship, beating teammates freshman Lauren
Fisher and junior Petya Marinova in all-Bruin final.

“Our strong finish is reflective of the hard work of the
coaches all the girls,” Hawley said.

The team went on to win its NCAA Regional, beating Georgia Tech
and upsetting Fresno State to advance to the third round of the
NCAA Championships. Although UCLA lost to Vanderbilt, which made
the final, the Sweet Sixteen appearance was an accomplishment that
most teams did not think UCLA capable of.

“We’ve proven that even through tough times we can
finish a season,” Sampras said.

Her eyes are already set on next year.

“The players are going to look back on this year and learn
from it,”she said. “We’re going to be contenders
for a national championship.”

This year’s work will pay off next year because of the
solid base the team has to build on.