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Benjamin Kohlloeffel will be competing in the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships t

The UCLA men’s tennis team will have another chance to take on local rivals in an individual tournament prior to the start of dual matches in the spring.

This time, members of the Bruin squad will take on players from the area in the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships held in Palm Springs beginning today.

“I think of it as just another chance for the guys to get some matches in,” UCLA coach Billy Martin said. “And also for me to see who’s really progressing and help me a little bit with lineup also.”

The results from the last Bruin outing, though surprising, were understandable.

Senior Benjamin Kohlloeffel, last year’s NCAA Singles Champion, fell in the quarterfinals to Andre Begemann of Pepperdine who later went on to defeat another Bruin senior, Chris Surapol, in the finals.

Neither of the two UCLA players that suffered defeats at the hands of Begemann are scheduled to play in the singles draw of the tournament, as Kohlloeffel will be playing at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships after getting a wild-card entry.

“The faster indoor courts are always good for him,” Martin said of Kohlloeffel. “Whether or not he wins it, I don’t know but he has as good a chance as anybody.”

One of the main reasons for Kohlloeffel’s subpar performance, Martin said, is his heavy course load during the fall quarter.

In order to graduate in June as he would like to, Kohlloeffel is enrolled in four upper division economics courses to lighten up his schedule during both the winter and spring quarters when the team will begin playing dual matches.

“Ben’s not playing his sharpest tennis and I think a lot of it has to do with how many tough classes he’s taking,” Martin said. “It’s really taking its toll on his game.”

Surapol was also entered into the indoor championships after reaching the finals, but withdrew from both the singles and doubles tournaments to focus on classes after having missed over a week while on his run to the finals.

However, Surapol will team up with sophomore Michael Look in the doubles draw as the two look to advance deep into the tournament.

Though the Bruins will play during the week, the locality of the tournament provides the team a chance to still attend class.

“It’s close and they can still come to class,” Martin said. “That’s the greatest thing about the tournament.”

INJURY UPDATE: Classes aren’t the only thing to have begun striking the veteran Bruin squad this year so far. Just weeks into the fall season, Bruin sophomore Haythem Abid has had to deal with injuries to both his ankle and his back.

Abid will not be playing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships as he has not been able to hit since the day his injury occurred in the ITA Regionals.

“He tried to get back way too soon,” Martin said. “He hasn’t hit balls since that Friday but he should start hitting again this week.”