Friday, April 17, 1998
UCLA heads north in search of victory
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Team confident that weekend wins will lead to
Pac-10 playoff position
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
They handed top-ranked Stanford its only loss of the season two
weeks ago, and the UCLA women’s tennis team is poised and ready to
defeat the Cardinal again.
In a series that will determine UCLA’s playoff position, the
Bruins will take on 10th-seeded California today at 1:30 p.m. and
Stanford Saturday at noon.
The Bruins, currently ranked 16th in the nation, will probably
need to beat Stanford or Cal to qualify as a top 10 team for the
playoffs and avoid regional matches.
"I feel pretty confident," UCLA head coach Stella Sampras said.
"I definitely believe we have a chance to beat Stanford again. If
we do, I think we’ll be in the top 10 for sure, and that’s what we
want. We don’t want to have to play regionals, but if we do we
will."
Although the Bruins (14-8 overall, 8-3 in Pac-10) were edged by
the Golden Bears earlier in the year, they are very confident they
will beat them in this rematch.
"It was so close last time, and a lot of the matches can go
either way, so I think we can do it," said Annica Cooper, who is
No. 14 in the country with a 25-11 record.
"Cal will be playing on their home court, but we just need to
play better doubles and I think we can do well against them and
hopefully come back with two wins," Sampras said.
Doubles, which has been UCLA’s weakest point this season, will
play a key role in determining the Bruin’s weekend success.
"Hopefully our doubles will step up and get us some wins, so
that going into a doubles three-all, we can still pull off the
win," Sampras said.
Stanford boasts three players ranked among the top 16, including
No. 4 Julie Scott. However, the Bruins are not fazed in the
least.
Cooper believes UCLA can repeat the upset, because "even if the
same people don’t win, there are other people who can win too that
lost last time. Even if it’s a different combination, we can still
win."
The Bruins’ top freshman, Christina Popescu, ranked 36th in the
nation, is also very confident in UCLA’s abilities.
"We’ve been playing better and I think we can do it," Popescu
said. "Everyone’s been doing their job and playing each match with
confidence."
UCLA has been on a roll lately, winning three straight games.
The Bruins have been forced to overcome many injuries this year and
have all stepped up their game and gelled as a team for their final
push of the regular season.
"We’re playing our best tennis now, which is great," Sampras
said. "I can definitely see a difference compared to the beginning
of the season to now. I’m excited to see what we do up north this
weekend and at the nationals. Anything can happen."
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Annica Cooper and the Bruins will take on Cal and Stanford to
determine their playoff position.