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Junior Sara Walker plays against UCI on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 7 women’s tennis team can consider itself tuned up. The Bruins destroyed a sorely overmatched UC Irvine team 7-0 yesterday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, in their final match prior to the start of the Pac-10 season.

“Everyone came out really strong in the doubles,” UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “We got up in every match and our players did a good job of setting the tone early.”

The Bruins made it clear early on that it was going to be a short day for the Anteaters, as Anya Loncaric and Jackie Carleson wasted no time in securing an 8-0 win at No. 3 doubles. Sara Walker and Laura Gordon turned in an easy 8-4 win at the top doubles spot, a feat equaled by Sarah Gregg and Susi Wild at No. 2 doubles.

The top four singles matches were all over quickly, as UCLA embarrassed the top of the Anteater line-up, surrendering a total of six games in those four matches. Gordon struggled early at the No. 5 spot, but won in three sets, and Loncaric turned in a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles.

The Bruins can expect a significantly greater challenge at 1:30 p.m. today, as they defend their home court against No. 9 USC.

The rival teams are similar in the sense that they are both very deep, but the Trojans hold a clear edge in experience. USC features four seniors in its top six, including Jewel Peterson, who is ranked third in the nation. UCLA’s strength also lies in its depth, but three of its top six players are freshmen, and only Walker and Gregg played regularly last season.

“(USC) has a lot more experience than we do, but our freshmen are very talented,” Sampras Webster said. “(Today) they will get a taste of what college tennis is all about because it will be very intense.”

In a match between teams that are so equally talented, every individual contest will be important, but the marquee match will be on the No. 1 court. Seniors Walker and Peterson are close friends and have established a tremendous rivalry during the course of their careers.

Peterson got the upper hand in their last meeting at the Omni Hotels Regionals in San Diego in October, defeating Walker 6-2, 6-2.

“Our games are so similar, and we’re both ranked very high in the nation right now, so it should be a very good match,” Walker said. “Whoever dictates the match wins whenever we play.”

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the quarterfinals of last year’s NCAA tournament, where UCLA knocked off the Trojans 4-1. Four of USC’s top six players played in that match and have improved their national ranking since then. The Trojans enter the match with a record of 2-0, but this will be the first match against a ranked opponent for both teams.

“This is going to be a good test for us,” said Sampras Webster, who will be seeking her 100th career coaching victory today. “It will be great to see our players compete and see where they are at.”

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