W. tennis: Tennis struggles at Pac-10 tourney
By Sonya Palathumpat
April 25, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Play at the Pac-10 Championships ended with a slight scare for
the UCLA women’s tennis team Friday, when an injury forced
Daniela Bercek to retire from her quarterfinal match.
Bercek, the Bruins’ No. 1 singles player, was diagnosed
with shin splints, but is expected to recover in time for NCAA
Regional play next month.
“Her shin’s inflamed,” coach Stella Sampras
Webster said. “She needs to rest and then start training for
Athens.”
Trailing 3-0 in the first set of her match against
Stanford’s Alice Barnes, Bercek decided the pain was too
great, ending a disappointing weekend for the Bruins at the Ojai
Valley Athletic Club.
Sophomore Laura Gordon was the lone bright spot for the
eighth-ranked Bruin tennis team, defeating USC’s Bernadette
Bayani 7-5, 7-6 in the first round. Gordon had lost 6-1, 6-1 to
Bayani in their previous meeting in January, so Friday’s
match was a chance to demonstrate her improvement throughout the
season.
“I was really pleased with the way she played,”
Sampras Webster said. “This was a match that meant a lot to
her, and she proved it out there by playing good tennis.”
Gordon’s strong play could not carry her through the
second round, where she fell to Erin Burdette of Stanford 6-1,
6-2.
The Bruin losses continued in the doubles section of the
tournament, as both UCLA teams lost in the first round. Bercek and
redshirt junior Lauren Fisher lost 8-3 to Stanford’s Barnes
and Burdette.
“I was disappointed with Fisher and Bercek,” Sampras
Webster said. “It was a tough draw. If they would have gotten
through (the first round), they would have done well.”
The second team of Gordon and sophomore Jackie Carleton lost 8-6
to Washington State’s Lorena Arias and Chris Martinez.
The score was a good showing for the pair, since it was the
first time Carleton and Gordon had ever played doubles
together.
Though the doubles teams seemed to struggle throughout the
tournament, Sampras Webster still views doubles as one of
UCLA’s strengths.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Bruins will be preparing for
the NCAA Regionals, which begin on May 14.
