Women's tennis season preview

Gallien to rely on team unity

By Scott Bemis
Staff Writer

Everything points toward poor team unity: only one senior on the roster, two new freshman joining the squad and a roster that consists of players from three different continents. If you asked members of the USC women's tennis team, though, they would say they're closer than ever.
"We're much more of a team this year (than last)," second-year coach Richard Gallien said. "We're much more of a cohesive unit. People are really pulling for each other. You'd be surprised in an individual sport such as tennis how big a difference that makes."
"Tennis is an individual game, but we still play as a team," sophomore Karolina Bakalarova said. "There's a lot of positive things that happen when we root for each other."
"In the last couple years, we've had coaching changes and lots of different personalities," Bakalarova said."Last week in Seattle (at the Pacific 10 Conference Indoors tournament), though, people who weren't playing were rooting for others."
With this new sense of togetherness comes higher expectations. That means improving upon last year's No. 18 ranking and 16-9 record (4-6 in the Pac-10).
To help the Woman of Troy achieve this goal, Gallien looked overseas and brought in freshmen Jacqui Boyd and Veronika Safarova.
Boyd is currently ranked as the No. 2 juniors player in her native country of South Africa and should find a spot in the USC lineup.
Safarova, who is originally from the Czech Republic, will also contribute once she becomes eligible later this week. Add that to returning Spaniard Eva Jimenez, who did not see much action last year as a freshman due to injury, and the Trojans have three new quality players.
"I think these incoming freshmen--Jacqui Boyd and Veronika, and Eva--who I almost consider a freshman since she didn't play much last year--give us a little more depth than we had the previous year," Gallien said.
Boyd, Safarova and Jimenez join eight returning players, led by Bakalarova, London and sophomore Ditta Huber. Heading into the season, Bakalarova is ranked 35th nationally in singles and is coming off a year in which she went 17-6 in dual matches and 21-7 overall. London is USC's best doubles player, and Gallien is hoping the Rancho Palos Verde native can continue the play that earned her doubles All-American honors in 1996. Preseason, London and Bakalarova are ranked 46th nationally. Huber returns for her second season as a Trojan and should be one of the team's top singles performers.
"We're pretty solid from top to bottom," London said.
Gallien agreed with London, saying he thinks USC women's tennis could creep back near the top of the polls in 1997.
"I think a realistic goal for us is top five," Gallien said. "We do have an outside shot at the national championship and the reason I say that is because we do have a lot of talent."
Is a national title too large a goal?
"You always have to believe," Bakalarova said. "If we really play together, I think we can do it."
The first step in that long journey begins today at 1:30 p.m. when USC hosts UC Santa Barbara at Marks Tennis Stadium.