UCLA, Pepperdine Enjoy Life at Top With Tennis Teams

Professional tennis players aren’t the only ones who scratch their heads when they see how the rankings are determined.

The men’s team at Pepperdine won its first 18 matches, defeated five top-25 teams, and was not ranked No. 1.

UCLA, one of Pepperdine’s victims, is occupying that spot.

Pepperdine has a clear-cut argument for No. 1 but nothing is clear in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association computerized poll, which considers strength of schedule about equal to won-lost records.

“It’s just all about who you beat,” Pepperdine Coach Peter Smith said. “It just shows that the system is a little quirky.”

UCLA Coach Billy Martin agrees.

“I don’t think we feel like we’re the No. 1 team,” he said. “To me, [third-ranked and undefeated] Stanford is the team to beat and Pepperdine is certainly right there.

“I feel like we’ve still got something to prove.”

These, however, are good days for both programs. Pepperdine and UCLA are legitimate contenders for the NCAA championship at the University of Georgia in May.

UCLA went into the NCAA tournament last year as the top-ranked team and reached the title match. Under Martin, the Bruins have been to two title matches in six years.

Pepperdine, though, is a relative newcomer to these tennis heights. The Waves always have been top-25 caliber but victories over the Bruins, USC, Duke, Texas and Texas Christian have made them a power.

Smith said the addition of singles players Robert Kendrick, a transfer from Washington, and Stefan Suter, a sophomore transfer from Switzerland, provided an instant boost.

“I knew we’d be good,” Smith said. “Eighteen and oh? Probably not. But I really believed this team would be something special.

“I knew about Suter but Kendrick came in at the last minute. As soon as he came down, he jelled with the team immediately. I felt like we could be a top-five team.”

Kendrick, ranked 11th in singles last year, gave the Waves a sure-fire performer at No. 1 singles. Returner Al Garland won his first 17 matches without losing a set. Sebastien Graeff and Anthony Ross also have excelled.

After a string of home matches, Pepperdine got a serious test last weekend in Texas. The Waves suffered their first loss, a 4-3 setback at the hands of No. 11 Texas A&M;, but bounced back with a 4-3 victory over No. 10 Texas on Sunday.

Smith called the trip a success. It was what his team needed.

“I don’t want to lose but when we lost, we really got mad,” he said. “I was mad. The players were mad. I think we really took that raw emotion into the Texas match.

“We had never lost a doubles point all year and then we just get killed in doubles [by Texas]. I spoke to my No. 1 and 2 guys and I said, ‘Guys, we’ve been waiting for this all year. We need you to inspire us.’ ”

Kendrick lost a tough three-set match to Brandon Hawk, but Graeff helped spark four singles victories. Three of the wins went three sets.

The Waves have Fresno State, Stanford and Cal left to finish the regular season. Smith, who coached at Fresno State before coming to Pepperdine in 1997, wouldn’t mind another loss, so long as it is not inflicted by the Bulldogs.

“That will be an interesting match,” Smith said. “They got three guys left who were there with me as freshmen. I know how badly they want to beat me, since this is their last chance.”

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Being No. 1 is a nice surprise for Martin. With last year’s top singles player, Jean-Noel Grinda, hampered by back spasms at the start of the year, he figured the Bruins would have some early struggles.

Instead, the Bruins have been impressive throughout. Their only losses have been to Pepperdine and Stanford, in the final of the National Team Indoor Championships. Senior Jong-Min Lee moved up to No. 1 singles and has a 12-5 record. He also teams with No. 2 singles Brandon Kramer to form the nation’s fourth-ranked doubles team.

Grinda’s return strengthened the lineup. He played doubles immediately after returning, then went back to singles last month.

“It’s been a lot better than I anticipated,” Martin said of the Bruins’ season. “To be 16-2 and have gone to the finals of the indoors is not what I expected.

“Jong-Min Lee has done an excellent job at No. 1. Our freshman, Jean-Julien Rojer, has only one loss and [Erfan] Djahangiri is 15-2. We’ve had some great leadership from our seniors and they have helped bring our freshmen along.”

Lee’s performance has been particularly inspiring. Last year, he struggled, his life in upheaval after his father died.

“It was a very traumatic year for him,” Martin said. “His mother had died two years before that. He was never really there mentally. To get to where he is now is amazing.”

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USC’s Erik Vendt already had a fine performance at the NCAA men’s swimming and diving meet with second-place finishes in the 400-meter freestyle and 400 individual medley. Nothing, though, could compare to what he did in the 1,500 freestyle.

Vendt set an American record with a time of 14 minutes 31.02 seconds, smashing Chad Carvin’s week-old mark of 14:43.69. In the process, he defeated three-time defending NCAA champion Ryk Neethling of Arizona, who had not lost a race in the NCAA finals since his freshman year.

“I honestly have to say that it wasn’t that big of a surprise,” said USC Coach Mark Schubert, who will also coach the U.S. Olympic team in Sydney. “The things I had seen in practice led me to believe that he could win.”

Schubert also said Vendt’s performance put him in the mix for the Olympic team.

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Stanford stunned top-ranked Long Beach State in men’s volleyball with a 5-15, 7-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-11 victory in Palo Alto. The Cardinal took a 7-8 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation record into the match.

Inspired by defeating No. 1 Washington, 17th-ranked Long Beach State (27-11) took charge in the Big West Conference softball race by sweeping Cal State Fullerton in a three-game series at home by scores of 10-0, 7-5 and 4-3. The 49ers are 6-0 in the Big West.

Freshman Jessica Lopez had four goals as third-ranked UCLA defeated No. 1 California, 7-6, in women’s water polo. The Bruins and Golden Bears will compete in the MPSF tournament at San Jose State this weekend.

COLLEGE DIVISION

Cal State Bakersfield’s softball team has a 10-game winning streak and is 29-5. At 17-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., the Roadrunners have key games against second-place Chico State and fourth-place UC Davis this weekend. Second baseman Regan Hanes and pitchers Melanie Wood and Adriana Cisneros have led Bakersfield to a No. 7 national ranking.