Thursday, March 12, 1998
Bruins badgered by unranked Wisconsin
M. TENNIS: No. 10 UCLA struggles with sets that should have been
easy
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
When the No. 10-ranked team plays the unranked team, the No. 10
team should win. The problem was that the No. 10 UCLA men’s tennis
team knew that too well.
When the Bruins played Wisconsin Wednesday, the intensity
belonged to the underdog, but the victory did land in the hands of
UCLA, 5-2.
"We came out flat as can be. We looked like guys that thought
these guys were gonna roll over," said UCLA head coach Billy
Martin.
The Badgers certainly did not roll over as they handed the
Bruins losses in the five and six positions and long first sets.
Wisconsin’s David Chang extended Matt Breen to a 7-6 first set
before Breen stopped the serve-and-volleyer 6-2 in the second
set.
"A match like this showed that we’re not much better than a team
like Wisconsin, and if we think we are, we’re going to start losing
to teams like this," said Breen.
Hindered by an injured elbow and Achilles, Vince Allegre
struggled with Wisconsin’s John Thomsen in the first set, but took
it 7-5. He made the 180-degree turn, though, and bageled the second
set, 6-0. At No. 4 Alex Decret pushed past a slow start to defeat
Wisconsin’s Jeff Malik, 6-4, 6-2.
"We didn’t play at our best level. We still won, but sometimes
the fashion and how you win matters more than the win itself," said
Decret.
Perhaps the only player to play to his potential was UCLA’s No.
1, Jean-Noel Grinda. Grinda beat Wisconsin’s Mark Loughrin 6-2,
6-1.
At No. 5, Chris Sands fell to Wisconsin’s Stefan Reist, 6-3,
6-2. A similar fate awaited UCLA’s No. 6 Noah Newman. Newman was
able to extend Wisconsin’s Adam Schumacher to three sets, yet
Schumacher won 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Martin was unhappy with the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles-team play.
Though the Bruins claimed the doubles point, their play was not
spectacular.
Grinda and Breen solidly defeated Chang and Loughrin, 8-3, but
Newman and Decret struggled to beat Thomsen and Malik, 8-6. The No.
3 tandem of Allegre and Sands lost to Reist and Schumacher,
4-8.
"We can’t play that way. We’re not that good of team to not be
ready to play each and every match at our full potential," said
Martin.
The potential is there for the Bruins, but it comes down to
whose level they play at. Yesterday, it was Wisconsin’s level.