Tuesday, March 2, 1999
Dominant Bruins leave Rebels without a cause
W. TENNIS: UNLV doesn’t stand chance vs. UCLA in singles,
doubles wins
By Audrey Jing
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels came to the Sunset Recreation Center
last Saturday only to be sent home less than two hours later. After
a 9-0 drubbing by the No. 8 Bruin women’s tennis team, the Rebels
probably did not know what hit them.
"We came out knowing we should beat this team – which we did,"
Bruin senior Brandi Freudenberg said. "We didn’t let them in it for
a moment. They never saw the light of day."
And that’s how the story went: the Rebels came and the Bruins
conquered. By the end of the day, UCLA had improved its record to
8-2 and added its second shutout of the season.
"Not losing a match today is a great way to build for the coming
matches," coach Stella Sampras said. "We’re pretty pleased to win
in both singles and doubles."
Cristina Popescu set the tone for the match, taking only 50
minutes to wipe out UNLV’s lone senior, Susie Kocsis, 6-0, 6-1 in
No. 1 singles action. The No. 4 seeded Freudenberg came up with the
next victory shortly after, turning in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Britta
Gabl.
Junior Annica Cooper and freshman Petya Marinova brought home
two more straight set wins to make a 4-0 UCLA lead. Cooper defeated
Veronica Goude 6-1, 6-4, while Marinova took down Urska Radanovic
6-4, 6-0.
The clinching fifth win belonged to No. 3 Amanda Basica. Down a
service break in the second set, Basica won four straight games
over Marianne Bakken to take the match 6-4, 6-4.
Rochelle Raiss rounded out the singles wins by dominating in the
third set for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 win.
"It was a positive experience," Freudenberg said. "The match got
us going in the right direction. To win it in singles is definitely
good."
The Bruins didn’t stop at singles, however, as they went on to
take all three doubles matches as well.
Junior Elizabeth Schmidt, after sitting out the start of the
season with a back injury, debuted with a bang, teaming up with
fellow junior Katia Roubanova for an 8-0 bagel over Gabl and
Radanovic in the No. 3 doubles spot.
The veteran team of Basica and Cooper came out with an 8- 4
victory over Kocsis and Marcella Valkenhoff at No. 1, while No. 2
Popescu and Marinova battled Bakken and Goude for an 8-6 win.
"The score didn’t show it, but it was a tough doubles match,"
Basica said. "Annica and I played well. Everything was just
clicking for us."
The UNLV contest marked the start of a four match homestand for
the Bruins. In the next week, UCLA will face No. 13 USC, No. 6
Texas, and No. 10 William and Mary.
"It’s important for us to stay fresh and motivated," Sampras
said. "It’s the middle of the season, and players tend to get
tired. We’ve got a long season and some tough matches ahead of
us."
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