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Thursday, 5/29/97 Bruins left pondering what might have been M. TENNIS: No. 1 seed, home advantage didn't prevent semifinal loss

By Mark Shapiro Daily Bruin Staff The dust has finally settled after the 1997 NCAA Championships, and once again, the UCLA men's tennis team, in another fruitless run at the title, was upset in the semifinal round. If the monkey on the team's back wasn't big before, it is now reaching Kong-like proportions. In the last seven years, the Bruins have lost in the semifinals six times and in the finals once. With zero team titles since 1984, the Bruins are experiencing a drought of gruesome proportions. As in years past, UCLA looked like it may finally have put together the firepower to shake off previous disappointments. After losing their second match of the season to Boise State, the Bruins rocketed onto a 22-match winning streak, laying claim to the No. 1 ranking and defending their National Indoor Championship in the process. Only late-season losses to Stanford and Pepperdine seemed to dim the Bruins' hopes, but with the No. 1 seed in a tournament played at home for the first time since 1969, UCLA looked to be the team to beat. "We had a good year," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "Our loss to Boise wasn't a bad loss, and losing to Stanford is no slouch. Those three losses were against top teams in the country. We achieved great things." After cruising through the first two rounds of the tournament, dispatching Northwestern and Duke, respectively, the Bruins matched up with Georgia in the round that has haunted UCLA - the semifinals. Though the Bruins had bested the Bulldogs earlier in the season, it was by the narrowest of margins, and as this match developed, it looked like more of the same. UCLA's Matt Breen and Jason Cook fell in three sets at fifth and sixth singles, respectively. When Alex Decret lost at No. 2, the match was over, with Georgia moving on to face Stanford in the finals. "I can't say that I'm completely happy," Martin said. "I hoped we could beat Georgia and play Stanford in the finals. We gave it a good shot and made it close. We were shooting for a championship, and we had a chance to win against Georgia. I thought we were in good shape at five and six, (to) at least get one of those." Now, the Bruins have to look ahead to next season, with the added weight of another postseason run's falling short. With Stanford to defend three straight championships with the core of its team returning, the Bruins have some work ahead of them. Senior standout Eric Taino will be gone, as will doubles specialist Eric Lin. It is left for the Bruins to reassemble a competitive team with which to dethrone Stanford. "Everybody's got to step up," Martin said. "We'll be in the running for it. I'm excited already, thinking about next year. I don't see anyone hanging their heads; it's a goal we're still shooting for. I'm not a giver-upper. That's the fun about sports." PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin UCLA just missed an NCAA title in each of Eric Taino's four years. Previous Daily Bruin Stories: Bruins seeded No. 1 in NCAA Men's Tennis Championships, May 5, 1997

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