By Joann Groff
Staff Writer
The Waves dominated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 6-1 in a match at Ralphs-Strauss Tennis Center last Thursday. The week to come will bring more of a challenge as they face three tough teams during the next four days.
“The team played really well against Cal Poly,” freshman Stephaine Karlick said. “We won all the matches except for one.”
While the whole team reached new heights, sophomore Charlotte Vernaz played well at the No. 1 position. “She had a close match, but played well and ended up winning in a third set tie breaker,” Karlick said.
Freshman Ceyda Keyman said the win “was expected, but it was a really good game for us to practice. If you think there is a good chance you’ll win, the best thing to do is work on things you aren’t great at and take chances. It was a good game for us to get back into the flow of things.”
The No. 27 ranked Waves have faced some challenging teams so far this season, and the following few days will bring even more. The tough end-of-the-week play will begin with UCI at Pepperdine today, a game the team feels confident about.
After UCI, Saturday delivers UCLA. “I hope we get our revenge,” Keyman said, referring to a loss they suffered in late January.
Sunday the Waves face University of California, Berkeley, a top-10 team who will prove to be quite a challenge. “We have a tough weekend ahead of us, but as we play more, we’re playing better, and we have the advantage of playing at home this weekend,” Keyman said.
The Lady Waves tennis team is very young, with six of its nine members competing at the collegiate level for the first time. But they are a skilled group, also very enthusiastic about the season to come. “Everyone is really looking forward to the season,” Karlick said. “Our coach, Gualberto Escudero, has high expectations for us.”
“We have so many matches ahead of us, and we are playing really good teams. I hope they go well because we are quite new, and are still getting used to things. Having so many young people is a bit if a disadvantage, but at the same time an advantage because people don’t know what they’re up against. I think we’ll do well.”
February 14, 2002