GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Pepperdine women’s tennis Head Coach Gualberto Escudero has quite a team coming back this season. The Waves return every single member of last year’s West Coast Conference Champion team that went 15-9 and finished as the 33rd-ranked team in the nation.
Escudero said he couldn’t be happier with the amount of experience and balance this team has displayed so far.
“What I’ve been telling the team is that we have an opportunity to be great because we have everybody back on the team,” Escudero said. “We could be top 15, maybe even top 10.”
Escudero’s high hopes haven’t been dampened at all because the team returns several members of last season’s team that finished their season on the injured list. The Waves also added a couple of players in the offseason who could play important roles this season.
“Not only do we have everybody back, but we have players back that didn’t play much last year like (senior) Natalie (Braverman) and (senior) Merve (Asimgil) and (sophomore) Bianca (Dulgheru),” Escudero said. “They were all out for a good part of last year. Even (junior) Lise (Sissler) was out. But they’re back now and hopefully we keep it that way throughout the season.
“We also have a transfer from Auburn (Jelena Jovic) who was last year’s No.-1 at Auburn,” Escudero continued. “She’s a great addition to the team. She helps us in both talent and in depth. She should be a very big help for our team in both quality and in numbers.”
The Waves also have new addition Alicia Poladian, a walk-on from Clovis, Calif. She’s to spend most of the season as a sparring partner for the girls during practices, but she could see some time in doubles play, according to Escudero.
Dulgheru, who began her college career with a victory over the eventual NCAA singles champ and a tournament win at the Desert Classic in Palm Springs, returns to full strength this year with high hopes from her coach.
“Bianca had such a great season last year that if she duplicates it she’ll be doing fantastic,” Escudero said. “If she does those same things this year, she’ll be leading the team.”
Escudero said he was also pleased with the amount of leaders this team has, including Braverman, Dulgheru and junior Caroline Raba who split time at both the No.-1 and No.-2 positions last season.
“We naturally have a leader in Natalie, because she’s a senior,” Escudero said. “We have natural leadership from Bianca because of her results, and another natural leader is Caroline Raba because she’s so experienced and so controlled. Those three are a really good trio.”
Escudero went on to praise sophomore Sylvia Kosakowski, who spent most of her time last season playing in the No.-4 position, where she went 8-4. She’ll be looked upon to compete even more in both singles and doubles, according to Escudero.
“Just behind (the trio) is Sylvia, who was a very good freshman,” Escudero said. “She was one of the top recruits in the nation last year. In addition, she’s great in doubles and she’s looking to really improve her results from last year to this year.”
Escudero said this team’s main strength is its depth. The team is in the mold of national powerhouse Stanford University, in that it can win at every position, including the bottom three, according to Escudero.
“I would characterize this team as being extremely balanced,” Escudero said. “We’re stronger at the bottom than most teams, which I think is the reason Stanford wins, because they always win at the 4-5-6. I think this team is like a mini-Stanford. We’ll be very good at the 4-5-6 so our top three can relax a little bit.”
Despite all of the good, there is still some concern from Escudero about the team’s injury status, including the returns of the two seniors, Asimgil and Braverman.
“Natalie had surgery in May and she was preparing for the season even then,” Escudero said. “She said she wanted to have the surgery so she could be practicing by mid-summer and she was. Now she just needs to get her tennis back. Once she gets in the tournaments she should be fine. She’ll be practicing both mornings and afternoons, so she’ll get her timing back. She needs precise timing for her game to be great. If she plays continuously she’ll get it back.
“Merve (Asimgil) also came off injuries last year,” Escudero continued. “We need her consistency up. We’re going to depend on Merve. If Merve is really good, we’ll be really good.”
The coaches have asked Asimgil to only serve above her should in order to ease some of the pain that still resides in the shoulder and to work on footwork to strengthen her forehand and backhand, Escudero said.
One thing is certain, however, according to Escudero, this team can compete with the best collegiate tennis teams in the nation.
“My prediction is that we’ll make top 20,” Escudero said. “But I really think we should be top 15 or top 10.”
The Waves’ first tournament, the Riviera All-American Invitational, begins Saturday in Pacific Palisades. The tournament concludes Thursday, Oct. 6.
09-29-2005
