BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Stuff Tobias
Clemens and the No. 5 UCLA men’s tennis team look to
defeat the their crosstown rivals the No. USC Trojans today.
By Regina Yeh
Daily Bruin Contributor
It is something that again and again sparks the aggression, the
passion and the rejuvenation of sport. Redundancy in time and
place, the blur of athlete’s faces, the same schools battling
the same colors ““ still, inscrutably, it never fails to
enliven the deceptively calm crossfire of team spirits and tennis
balls.
Perhaps some numbers and rankings change, names drift in and out
of the haze of a long historic crosstown rivalry, but competition
between UCLA and USC will again take place, today at the Marks
Tennis Stadium at USC.
“These matches are always a lot of pride, and it means a
lot more than just tradition. The guys on the team feel the
rivalry, and they’re going to be ready to step up,”
said UCLA head coach Billy Martin.
Earlier in the season, UCLA had won against USC 7-0, only to be
caught by surprise in their second competition with a 4-1 loss. The
loss of the game emphasizes today’s match, which will also
prove to be a Pac-10 opener for both teams. UCLA intends to focus
beyond scores and ratings, and more towards fulfilling the
expectations they set for themselves.
“Coach Martin warned us and talked to us about this game,
and we’re to expect the unexpected,” junior Jean-Julien
Rojer said. “We’ve lost to them this season ““
it’s been the first time in a couple years that this
happened. We’re all really looking forward to playing them
again and winning.”
The intensity of the team highlights the individual battles on
the courts, particularly among the singles events. With sophomore
Tobias Clemens as the top singles player at UCLA going against
USC’s highest ranked senior, Andrew Park, and other singles
matches in anticipation, Martin finds the game an exciting
challenge.
“Everything will be very close,” Martin said.
“We’re very evenly matched teams, and I’m hoping
that we’ll be playing competitively. In collegiate athletics,
this game is one of the greatest you could see and it will be a lot
of fun for everything.”
The team even warmed up on the USC courts on Wednesday,
preparing to reclaim the head-to-head lead.
“It’s going to be a touch match, and speaking back
to last time, we just know that we need to keep the team
together,” junior Rodrigo Grilli said.
The split of the past two encounters out between schools sets a
great atmosphere for today, both determined to defeat the other
““ UCLA certain to keep in mind the capability USC
demonstrated earlier.
This afternoon, the Bruins play the Trojans, going for more than
rank and tradition. With the spirit of rivalry and the intensity of
sport, competition will never get old for UCLA men’s tennis,
and with an unexpected turn of events the Bruins are further intent
on playing their best in the game.