UCLA’s South Bay Connection Key to Tennis Team’s Success

Talk about a South Bay connection--UCLA women’s tennis Coach Bill Zaima seems to have a strong one.

Three of the six players in his singles lineup are from the South Bay, and it’s no coincidence.

“UCLA likes to recruit local talent of national caliber,” Zaima said, “and in Southern California, the Peninsula is the strongest area.”

The Bruins, who are ranked fourth nationally and will appear in the NCAA tournament starting Wednesday at the UCLA Tennis Center, have two freshmen and a senior from Rancho Palos Verdes who have been crucial to the team’s success.

Freshmen Kirsten Dreyer and Stella Sampras and team veteran Maria LaFranchi are concentrating on nationals, but it’s difficult to overlook what they’ve already done to help this year’s 18-5 Bruin squad.

The South Bay trio proved its value last week in UCLA’s last match of the regular season against long-time rival USC.

UCLA’s only points came from Dreyer, who beat USC’s Stephanie London at the No. 3 spot, Sampras, who defeated Ginny Purdy at No. 4 and LaFranchi, who defeated Anya Kochoff at No. 6. The Bruins, who had placed second in the Pac-10 tournament the previous week, lost 6-3.

“I hate to say tennis is a tradition,” said Robert Landsdorp, who has coached numerous top juniors (including Tracy Austin) and runs the West End Racket Club in Torrance “but it almost is in this area.”

Landsdorp coached Sampras and LaFranchi and said the high caliber of South Bay tennis also has a lot to do with the area’s strong high school competition.

Sampras is a perfect example of that. Her name is still associated with top-notch South Bay tennis, and it’s not just because her brother Pete was a top-ranked junior, who recently turned professional.

Sampras, 19, was the 1987 CIF singles champion as part of the Palos Verdes High tennis squad. She was also the school’s athlete of the year. In 1984 and 1986, she helped lead the Sea Kings to CIF titles and was a Prince all-American for three years.

However, it took Sampras some time to adjust in college where she was overpowered by more experienced players at first. She struggled most of the year playing in the bottom half of the lineup, but capped the season with an impressive performance in the Pac-10 tournament at Ojai.

Sampras, who teams up with Allyson Cooper for UCLA’s No. 1 doubles team, fell 6-3, 6-4 to Stanford’s Lisa Green in the final of that tournament. She had defeated teammate Jessica Emmons, who plays No. 2 singles for the Bruins, in the semifinal before losing to Green.

“I was really psyched up for that tournament,” Sampras said. “I felt so much more relaxed (than at the beginning of the season) and I worked real hard for it because I really wanted to do well.”

Sampras is ranked No. 21 in the West Region and has impressed USC Coach Dave Borelli, who has seen a lot of talent in his 14-year coaching career. Borelli, who has led the Trojans to seven national championships, says it took awhile, but Sampras is finally playing her game.

“She’s a very good player,” said Borelli, who congratulated Sampras after her straight-set victory over Purdy. “Her ground strokes are solid and the fact that she can hit under and over the ball makes her very strong.”

LaFranchi was a two-time MVP at Miraleste High and helped lead the Marauders to the CIF title her junior year.

In college, however, she’s somewhat of an underrated player in a sport where only the top two or three in the singles lineup get publicity and recognition. LaFranchi has made three trips to the NCAA team nationals, but has often been overlooked as the Bruins’ No. 6 player.

“I think it’s because she doesn’t have a flashy game,” said former UCLA tennis player Karina Walters, who was LaFranchi’s teammate for two years. “She’s just very consistent. Maria is the core of a solid lineup.

“I mean, look at her,” Walters said as she watched LaFranchi, 22, defeat USC’s Kochoff in straight sets last week. “She doesn’t hit real hard, but she hits deep and gets the ball back.”

Last year, LaFranchi received UCLA’s MVP award for her 26-7 season. This year she has a 28-14 record and is ranked 23rd in the West Region. She’s also been nominated for the Sportsmanship award, given to the nation’s most well-rounded player.

“She’s one of the best 6s in the country,” Zaima said. “That’s what you need in college tennis, players that can play their positions well. You don’t need six Allyson Coopers (UCLA’s No. 1 player) to win.”

LaFranchi agrees. She has no complaints about spending her college career away from the spotlight.

“My goal was to play college tennis,” she said, “and college is a team thing. You play wherever you do best. I’m not a No. 1 player.”

When LaFranchi’s college tennis career ends in a couple of weeks, she will gladly leave the fate of her team to the talented freshman Zaima recruited this season.

A good candidate seems to be Dreyer, who is ranked No. 8 in the West Region.

“She’s the hardest working player I’ve seen since Jeanne Duvall, who was the national champ for UCLA in 1978,” Zaima said. “And she’s done an excellent job adjusting to the college game.”

Dreyer didn’t grow up in Palos Verdes, but it has been her home base for two years. She finished high school independently under private tutors while she traveled on the women’s professional tennis circuit. Dreyer won no cash prizes while on the pro circuit and so did not lose her amateur standing.

The 19-year old has the best record on the team (35-7) as the No. 3 singles player. Before coming to UCLA, she was a member of the Junior Wightman Cup team and was an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic tennis squad. Dreyer has been ranked as high as 138 on the Women’s International Tennis Assn. computer.

“Because she played pro,” Zaima said, “she’s got the poise and experience to be a college champion.”

Dreyer’s first chance to do that will come on May 16, when the NCAA singles tournament begins. Dreyer, along with LaFranchi and Sampras, will play in the singles portion of the national tournament, which always starts the week after the team competition.