It’s the toughest road trip for any team in the nation,
but the timing made it a little bit easier for the No. 9 UCLA
women’s tennis team.
The Bruins took advantage of injuries in the California lineup
in their 4-3 victory over the No. 11 Golden Bears on Friday.
However, they were not so fortunate the following day against a
healthy Stanford squad, as the top-ranked Cardinal blanked the
Bruins, 7-0.
Saturday’s loss was the first time the Bruins have been
shut out since their trip to Palo Alto in 2001.
With the Cardinal’s entire starting lineup ranked in the
top-65 nationally, the best effort the Bruins could muster was
taking a match to three sets. Despite falling so short, coach
Stella Sampras Webster refused to call the loss demoralizing.
“It was more of a wake-up call,” she said. “It
gives our team an idea of what the best team plays like.”
The Bruins had received their first clue at the National Indoor
Tournament two months ago, when the Cardinal beat them 6-1.
On Saturday, the Bruins learned how large the gap still
remains.
Although UCLA was a game away from grabbing the doubles point,
the team would not come nearly as close in singles. Daniela Bercek
and Laura Gordon each won their first sets on Courts 2 and 6
respectively, but those would prove to be the only sets the Bruins
would win all day.
“We can’t afford to make errors against them,”
Sampras Webster said. “They take advantage of
mistakes.”
The Bruins will get one more chance against the Cardinal in two
weeks at home. By then, they hope freshman Alex McGoodwin will be
cleared to play after suffering a pulled stomach muscle over a
month ago. McGoodwin gave the Bruins their lone point in the first
match between the two teams.
Although the Bruins will still be seeking redemption from
Stanford, they finally got it this past weekend in their game
against Cal.
After getting swept by Cal during their injury-riddled 2003
season, the Bruins went into Friday’s match as the healthier
team. Jody Scheldt and Sasha Podkolzina both missed Friday’s
singles matches for the Golden Bears, giving the Bruins an edge,
even without McGoodwin.
Jackie Carleton, Bercek and Lauren Fisher all capitalized on the
weaker lineup to propel the Bruins to victory. The fact that Cal
was not at full strength did not detract from the win either.
“It’s just a great win because we lost to them twice
last year,” Sampras Webster said. “It wouldn’t
matter whether they’re No. 11 or 20.”
Perhaps just as fortuitous as Cal’s injuries was the
Bruins’ revised schedule. Originally, the Bruins were slated
to play the Golden Bears coming off of a two-week layoff. However,
the postponement of their UNLV match last Wednesday gave the Bruins
an opportunity to get some match experience during Spring
Break.
The team’s 6-1 victory over the Rebels helped prevent the
Bruins from getting off to a sluggish start two days later against
a stronger Cal team.
“Getting in that match against UNLV made us better
off,” Sampras Webster said.
Their ensuing victory over the Golden Bears was the second 4-3
win for the Bruins in their last four matches. In both of those
matches, the Bruins took the doubles point, which has made the
difference in countless matches over the past few seasons.
The doubles wins marked a dramatic turnaround from the collapse
that each of the pairings underwent during their March trip to
Arizona. After that trip, in which UCLA lost the doubles point to
lower-ranked Arizona and Arizona State, Sampras Webster still kept
the same teams, which has paid dividends in recent matches.
“Our teams will keep getting better as they play together
more,” she said.