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Injury has taken a toll on the Pepperdine women’s tennis team again and again.
The Waves competed without key players in the last six matches. Five of the matches also resulted in losses for No. 48 ranked Pepperdine.
The team finally picked up a win against Texas Christian Tuesday afternoon, 4-3. The victory brought Pepperdine to 6-6 in dual meet action.
Pepperdine lost the doubles point, giving Texas the early advantage. This forced the Waves to play four perfect singles matches to take the win, after the Waves’ Veronika Koksava had to stop mid-match due to illness.
Junior Charlotte Vernaz took control at the No. 1 singles spot, winning her matches 6-2, 6-2. Freshman Marve Asimgil captured the point at No. 2 singles in 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Anna Andersson won at the No. 4 position.
Sophomore Karin Schlapbach was the deciding factor for the Waves, battling in the No. 3 spot and grabbing the win for Pepperdine.
“It came down to Karin,” Head Coach Gualberto Escudero said. “She was behind at first, but she soon realized she could get this girl and we really did have a chance to win even with so few players.”
Pepperdine met up with University of California Berkeley Feb. 21. The No. 4 ranked Golden Bears easily took Pepperdine 4-0.
Pepperdine had to default two singles matches and one doubles match because of its lack of players. Senior Monika Horvath, Koksava and freshman Natalie Braverman were all out with injuries.
California won both doubles matches and took the doubles point. It also dominated the singles matches, winning all four in straight sets.
Asimgil and Vernaz were defeated in the No. 1 doubles position 8-1. No. 2 doubles of Andersson and Schlapbach also lost 8-1.
“The team was pretty down,” Escudero said. “We were beat physically and emotionally.”
Pepperdine’s match up with No. 5 Stanford was cancelled Feb. 24 due to inclement weather. The Waves traveled to Northern California, agreed to play the singles portion of the match, but couldn’t complete it because of the rain.
Sunday the Waves hosted Pennsylvania at the Ralph Strauss Tennis Center and fell 5-2. They fielded a team of five. Koksava played in her first match back from three weeks off.
“We feel kind of disappointed,” Koksava said. “The players out there who aren’t injured feel so much pressure, like they have to win because there is no one to fall back on.”
A highlight of the day was that the Waves captured the doubles point, an area Pepperdine has been struggling in all season.
“We had some big wins in doubles,” Escudero said. “One team beat the No. 12 ranked team in the nation. For a minute there we thought we could maybe win it. We had just overcome a one-point deficit in singles which was good because we were minus a player.”
Pennsylvania took the upper hand.
“It was a good fight, but we just couldn’t get the points,” Escudero said. “When you don’t capitalize on your advantages, your opponent feels better and comes out and beats you.”
The match against Texas Christian could be the turning point the Waves need right now.
“The team morale was down,” Escudero said. “However the season is not over. There is one word for us. Hope. We had a great victory and if we get healthy we are still capable of beating anyone.”
Pepperdine’s next match is today against No. 42 Baylor at the Ralph Strauss Tennis Center at 1:30.
Submitted March 13, 2003
MALIBU, CA
