Women’s tennis to face UC Irvine at LA Tennis Center
Yasmin Schnack and the rest of the women’s tennis team look to carry their early-season momentum into today’s match against UC Irvine.
By Daniel Khayat
Feb. 2, 2010 10:11 p.m.
Up to this point in the young season, everything has gone according to plan for the No. 12 UCLA women’s tennis team.
The Bruins (3-0) will try to keep it that way in their match against No. 58 UC Irvine (1-1) today at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. After rolling off wins over No. 40 Pepperdine, No. 41 UNLV and No. 36 Tulsa by scores of 5-0, 4-0 and 4-1, respectively, the Bruins have started the season on a high note and are looking to continue that today.
One area of interest will be the bottom half of the singles lineup, as UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster continues her efforts to give ample match time to all players. Eight have seen action in the Bruins’ three matches, but only three have appeared in all three: senior Yasmin Schnack and juniors Andrea Remynse and Noelle Hickey have played at the top three slots for the Bruins, in that order, each time out.
Sampras Webster may use this match as an opportunity to get freshmen Stephanie Hoffpauir and Pamela Montez more playing time. Both have 1-0 singles and doubles records on the season, and Montez led another singles match at the time the Bruins clinched their win over Pepperdine.
Hickey and her impressive play have been important components for the Bruins, especially considering that Hickey, a transfer from Georgia Tech, only arrived in Westwood in January. She is 2-0 at the No. 3 spot in singles and 1-0 in doubles, pairing with a different partner each time out (one singles and two doubles matches were left unfinished).
The last time the Bruins faced off against the Anteaters was Jan. 31, 2008. The Bruins won 5-2 behind wins from then-seniors Riza Zalameda, Tracy Lin and Elizabeth Lumpkin, as well as the doubles point and a victory from Schnack.
