“Thank you.” Those two words are what UCLA
men’s tennis player Benjamin Kohlloeffel has been repeating
for the past two weeks. And congratulations are indeed in order,
for saying that he has had an incredible season would be a gross
understatement.

My year at UCLA has been full of challenges, but this is by far
the toughest one to date. Summing up everything I have learned
through the Daily Bruin and the UCLA athletes is impossible, but
here is a shot at it.

The UCLA men’s tennis team may not have won a repeat
national title, but Benjamin Kohlloeffel made sure the program
didn’t come home empty-handed.
Kohlloeffel became the first Bruin in 31 years to win an NCAA
singles title on Monday, defeating Virginia’s Somdev
Devvarman 6-1, 6-4 in the NCAA final on Memorial Day.

Big serves are just not enough to beat junior Benjamin
Kohlloeffel, and his opponent in the first round of the NCAA
singles championships learned that lesson Tuesday.

The season is over for UCLA men’s tennis as a team, but
there is still one Bruin hoping to bring an NCAA title back to
Westwood.

SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; The NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday were
unlike anything ever seen before. In fact, the entire tournament
was a first for college tennis, with both women’s and
men’s competitions being held at the same venue.

PALO ALTO “”mdash; An NCAA Championship is what most
student-athletes dream of when they come to UCLA. The coaches, the
players and the supportive staff all want to enjoy collegiate
sports supremacy.

Some people were always meant to live their lives out of a
suitcase, packing their bags for another continent at the age of
14.
Freshman tennis player Haythem Abid left his home of Tunis,
Tunisia, at about that age when he traveled to Spain and joined the
Bruguera Tennis Academy Top Team in Barcelona, Spain.

The UCLA men’s tennis team earned its ticket to the NCAA
Sweet 16 on Sunday when it defeated Colorado.
The 4-0 defeat was hard on the Colorado Buffaloes because not
only did it mark the end of their season, but it could also be the
last match ever played by the program.

The NCAA draw is out, and things could have been a lot worse for
the UCLA men’s tennis team.
As the No. 10 seed in the tournament, the defending champions
were granted some of their wishes.