NICOLE MILLER/ Daily Bruin Freshman Lauren
Fischer fires a backhand in a match against Fresno
State.
By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Contributor
When UCLA lost to Pepperdine a few weeks ago, Head Coach Stella
Sampras said she looked forward to playing the Waves again. Today
she has her chance as the No. 18 Bruins face No. 10 Pepperdine at
1:30 p.m. at the LATC.
The odds are against UCLA, which has slipped in the national
rankings since the loss, from No. 7 to No. 18.
“It’s hard because we lost last time when we were
healthy and now we are worse off,” freshman Chelsea Godbey
said. “But I think it is more a mental than a physical
struggle.”
The UCLA women’s tennis team is going through hard times
after losing all four of its last matches to bring their record to
3-5. Although the Bruins got off to a promising start, the absence
of No. 1 sophomore Sara Walker and No. 3 senior Zana Zlebnik due to
injuries threw them off balance.
“When you take some losses you need that boost to get
positive again,” assistant coach Jon Reeves said.
WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. UCLA vs. Pepperdine Today
1:30 p.m. LATC Although the players say they need a win, they are
remarkably determined without it.
“We are so set on winning, even without Sara and Zana. We
believe we can win,” freshman Mariko Fritz-Krockow said.
One cause for concern is the fact UCLA still lost to Pepperdine
when the current players were in lower spots than they are playing
currently. However, Fritz-Krockow remains sure of herself.
“We can win where we are in the lineup. I am just as
confident playing No. 4 as No. 6,” she said.
Junior Petya Marinova is equally enthusiastic about the
matchup.
“It should be exciting because we will play different
people than last time,” she said. “Of course, we lost,
but I’m actually looking forward to it because they are our
level or better. We have nothing to lose, but we can get our
ranking back if we beat them.”
She has good reason to be confident. Marinova has won her last
two matches since moving up to the No. 2 spot. Although unranked
herself, Marinova upset No. 28 Liesl Fichtbauer of Fresno State on
Friday.
The fact that the players have moved up two spots may also be
offset by the fact that Pepperdine is an unpredictable team. The
Waves’ inconsistency could be to UCLA’s benefit since
the players perceive the challenge as more mental than
physical.
“We can beat them, it’s a matter of everyone finding
it in themselves. It is an individual sport and so you have to have
individual confidence,” senior Jennifer Donahue said.