By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Contributor
Grab your horns and noisemakers. Wear your baby blue. Bring all
your friends.
At noon Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the No. 22
UCLA women’s tennis team will face off against the No. 12
Trojans. The rivalry is as strong in tennis as in football, with
USC bringing along its band and a caravan of fans to Westwood.
“We’ve had a lot of crazy matches against
them,” said UCLA Head Coach Stella Sampras.
Sampras and the rest of the team recalled how the Trojan band
would play the trumpet every time a UCLA player served. Two years
ago, when USC secured the victory late in the contest, the band
played music on every point the Trojans won, rubbing their win in
the face of the Bruins.
The Bruins, however, are not irritated by this. They like
it.
“The atmosphere is exciting. It’s fun. It livens it
up when they shout and play music,” senior Jennifer Donahue
said.
“It is definitely different from playing any other school.
There is so much history,” Sampras said. “There are
times when we have a great season but lose to ‘SC because
they are fired up and play their best and vice versa.”
The coaches and older players have tried to make the freshmen
understand the rivalry and its history to get them pumped up as
well. Freshman Mariko Fritz-Krockow said she does not quite know
what to expect.
“I think it might turn out to be a bigger rivalry than I
expect. I’ve heard a lot about it so I’m really looking
forward to Saturday,” Fritz-Krockow said.
The outcome of the match against USC could depend largely on
whether or not No. 1 sophomore Sara Walker and No. 3 senior Zana
Zlebnik are able to play. They have been out for the past three
weeks with a foot stress reaction and a back injury, respectively.
Both will probably play doubles together, but it is unknown whether
either will play singles.
“Right now, I’m testing to see how I react to
playing,” Zlebnik said. “I just hope my injury
doesn’t hinder me this weekend.”
Walker is ranked No. 15 nationally in singles. If she plays, she
will be paired off against Jewel Peterson (No. 22), while Bruin
junior Catherine Hawley will play Maureen Diaz (No. 72). However,
if Walker does not play, Hawley will have to move up a spot for
UCLA. The No. 2 spot would then be filled by junior Petya Marinova,
who moved into the ITA rankings this week at No. 85 after her
excellent play in her last few matches.
In doubles, the Bruins will have an advantage over Marinova and
Fisher who are now ranked as the No. 19 team against No. 26
Peterson and Tiffany Brymer.
The Trojans, on the other hand, may have more depth at doubles,
where their No. 2 tandem is ranked No. 29. Regardless of these
comparisons, rankings cannot predict the outcome of the match when
so much rides on the energy the players bring in.
“They’re going to be feisty and want to beat us as
much as we want to beat them,” Sampras said. So if you
don’t have a ticket to the Stanford basketball game, be next
door at the LATC watching the Bruins take on the Trojans.
UCLA will also play No. 50 New Mexico today at 1:30 pm at
home.