UNLV: Women head to San Diego

Steve Carp

Thursday, May 8, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

MARIANNE Vallin is going to the NCAA tennis championships next weekend at Stanford. But she'd love to have some company.

Which is why this weekend's trip to San Diego is about business, not pleasure, for the UNLV women's tennis team. It will take three victories between Friday and Sunday. But if the Rebels still are standing, they'll head to the Bay Area next Saturday to compete in their first NCAA championship.

"For me, the team is more important than the individual," said Vallin, the nation's 12th-ranked singles player who is 18-5.

"I've been to the individual championships and I knew I'd be going this year. But it would mean a lot more if the entire team went to Stanford."

The senior from Sweden will be counted on to set the pace Friday as UNLV meets host University of San Diego in the opening round of the West Regional. Should the Rebels win, they'll face the Fresno State-Southern Cal winner Saturday. The championship final is 1 p.m. Sunday.

How UNLV fares may not depend as much on Vallin as the players below her on the ladder.

"We're a young team," said coach Ola Malmqvist. "But we're moving in the right direction. I see this regional as an opportunity to get some more wins.

"In my opinion, six of the teams can win it and we're one of them. But for us to win it, we're going to have to be able to close out matches."

That was UNLV's Achilles' heel two weeks ago at the WAC championships. UNLV had a chance to put San Diego State away in the finals, but failure to close out cost the Rebels the conference title.

It still bothers Malmqvist. But he wants his team to use the experience to its advantage this weekend and be mentally tougher.

"Our expectations have risen since the season began," he said of his 17-6 team, ranked 18th in the country.

"We achieved some goals early and I thought we were capable of doing greater things. That's why not winning the WAC was disappointing. It was there for us and we let it get away."

All six singles players sport winning records. But No. 2 Natalie Frawley and No. 3 Gee Gee Garvin are barely above .500 at 11-9, and they may be swing players for UNLV. Veronica Goude is 14-6 playing No. 4 while Lisa Annebro, who played behind Vallin at No. 2 last year, is 13-7 playing the No. 5 spot this year. Marie Linusson, who played No. 4 last year, is 15-5 playing No. 6.

"That shows you the quality we have," Vallin said. "Our number 2 last year is our number 5 this year. I think we're stronger top to bottom and we're more balanced. It takes some of the pressure off me."

Still, Vallin knows she's going to face a great player every time out. And with final exams out of the way today, she can focus on finishing her career without having to tote textbooks to the tournament.

"I'm used to it by now," she said of the pressure that comes with playing the other team's best player. "But I think we have enough overall talent to win. Of the four teams I've played on at UNLV, this one has the most talent."

The Rebels weren't given any breaks when they drew San Diego as their first-round opponent. But Malmqvist said at this point, there are no easy touches.

"We got as bad a draw as we could," he said. "But if we're going to get to Stanford, we're going to have to beat the best."