NCAA WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP:Positively outstanding

There was a time when Becky Bernhard alternated between being her own best cheerleader and her own worst enemy.

This season, the UC Irvine junior women’s tennis standout has accentuated the positive, and the results have been beneficial to her, as well as the team.

UCI (21-4), ranked No. 34 in the nation, makes its first appearance in the NCAA tournament today at 9 a.m., when it faces No. 30-ranked Texas (15-9), at USC’s Marks Stadium.

The Anteaters became the first team from the Big West Conference to earn an at-large berth into the 64-team tournament after falling in the final of the conference tournament, 4-3, to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on April 28.

Bernhard, the Anteaters’ No. 1 singles player who was named Big West Conference Player of the Week six times this season, believes she and her teammates will have a psychological advantage against the Longhorns.

“We’re always pumping ourselves and each other up on the court,” said Bernhard, a first-team All-Big West performer in singles and doubles (with partner Clare Fermin) this season. “I think that’s why we always have that mental edge over our opponents. And it’s all about the mental edge.”

UCI Coach Mike Edles said there was an edge to Bernhard’s game her first two seasons as an Anteater.

Bernhard acknowledged there were times when her penchant for perfection pushed her over the edge on the court.

“If I don’t pump myself up [during a match, my play] could spiral down,” Bernhard said. If I hit one bad shot, I had a tendency to think ‘Oh, man,’ and I’d keep going downhill. I’m definitely a perfectionist and if it’s not perfect, I get mad.”

But, this season, Bernhard has been able to avoid the mental abyss she used to allow herself to fall into during matches.

“I’m staying positive,” she said. “If I don’t hit a good shot, I’ll tell myself, ‘That’s OK, it was a good effort.’ Or ‘You were in the right spot.’ And I’ve learned it doesn’t always have to be perfect within a one millimeter margin of error. Now, I just try to hit shots into a general area.”

Edles said Bernhard’s improved court presence has made a huge difference in her game, and her contribution to the team.

“She has probably grown more as a player and a person than anybody on our team,” said Edles, the Big West Coach of the Year. “Her first two years, she had talent, but mentally, she was up and down. She would have great performances, then not-so-good ones. It plagued her her whole freshman year.

“Her sophomore year was quite good. She played at a higher level. But she was still a little bit up and down.

“Now, as a junior, she has just been much more consistent,” Edles said. “I think the biggest key for her is, she genuinely wants it. She has self-motivation.”

Bernhard, out of Oakdale High in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, said she has loved tennis ever since she can remember. She was introduced to the sport by her parents and she grew up playing on the juniors circuit.

But she said since she arrived at UCI, where school and tennis became her focus, her passion for the game has intensified.

“In high school and in juniors, I only played three times a week,” Bernhard, a Newport Beach resident, said. “Now, I’m playing three hours a day, every day. This is actually the way I wanted it. I didn’t know it, but this is what I wanted.”

Edles said he wanted Bernhard, your basic baseliner before arriving at UCI, to become more aggressive.

A former high school sprinter, Edles said her speed sets her apart from her peers. He has encouraged her to use it as an offensive weapon, not merely on defense.

“They call me Becky, who’s always there, because I’m always running and I’m always at the ball,” Bernhard said. “It’s usually not just one winner they have to hit, but three winners in a point to beat me, because I will run down every ball.”

Bernhard said, with Edles’ encouragement, she now comes to the net much more often.

“I look for opportunities to get to the net,” she said. “If I get a short ball, I take advantage of it.”

Bernhard said the Anteaters are hoping to take advantage of their historic postseason opportunity.

“Our biggest goal this year was getting to the NCAA tournament, because we missed it by a couple of spots last year,” Bernhard said. “But now that we’re here, we won’t be satisfied unless we advance. Everyone on our team is so competitive, we just don’t like to lose. It’s not an option.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].