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If only they had a healthy team.
Last Friday the Pepperdine women’s tennis squad fell 6-1 to the No. 1 team in the nation, the University of Southern California Trojans.
In a sport where every point and every teammate is crucial, competing without three of seven players makes winning almost impossible.
“If we come out a little healthier we can do it,” Head Coach Gualberto Escudero said. “We can play a good team and we can beat a good team.”
The loss dropped the injured Waves to 6-8 for the season. USC picked up its 10th consecutive win to bring the Trojans to 15-1.
“We all want to win,” sophomore Karin Schlapbach said. “We give everything we have every match. It’s been really tough. It’s frustrating for the coach, the team and the injured players who would love to be playing and helping the team. There is lots of pressure on each of the healthy players right now to win every match we play.”
As a team ripe with new talent and potential, the Waves started the season in winning fashion. They beat five of their first six opponents. Recently the roster has been depleted by injuries and the Waves are now struggling to turn things around.
“We’re trying our best despite injuries,” freshman Marve Asimgil said. “We’re trying not to focus on what’s behind us, but instead on the challenging matches that still lie ahead.”
Despite the score, Escudero said his team played some pretty good tennis against USC.
“We had a lot of close matches out there,” Escudero said. “If things had gone our way just a little more we could have upset the No. 1 team in the nation.”
Pepperdine was forced to forfeit games in the No. 3 doubles spot as well as No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions.
The women of Troy defeated junior Charlotte Vernaz and senior Monika Horvath at No. 1 doubles 8-5 and sophomore Anna Andersson and Asimgil at No. 2 doubles 8-4.
With the early doubles point, and two singles points by default, USC had to take only one singles match to seal the victory.
“When we lose one match in doubles, we lose that point,” Asimgil said. “Then if we lose doubles then we have to win all of our singles. It is a very difficult situation.”
The defeat of Pepperdine’s Vernaz in No. 1 singles clinched the win for USC. Vernaz lost 6-2, 6-4.
The Wave’s only point came from Schlapbach in No. 3 singles. She lost the first set, but battled back to take her match, 2-6, 6-3, 10-5.
“We will keep fighting,” Schlapbach said. “It’s another opportunity every time you go out there.”
The No. 53-ranked Pepperdine team will take to the courts again Friday when they host Fresno State.
“We have a chance,” Escudero said. “Fresno’s a good team, but playing at home will help us. We haven’t won in a while, so we’re going to be hungry. After all, we don’t have much to lose.”
Submitted March 27, 2003
MALIBU, CA
