UCLA
USC
Bruins Win First-Ever Pac-10 Championship
April 18, 2008 | Women's Tennis
April 18, 2008
LOS ANGELES - The sixth-ranked UCLA women's tennis team made history on Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, registering a 5-2 victory over No. 10 USC to earn the program's first-ever Pac-10 Championship. At 7-1 overall in conference play, the Bruins will be co-champions with tomorrow's Stanford-Cal winner.
UCLA (18-5) swept the doubles play Friday, clinching the point when the Bruins' second-ranked duo of Tracy Lin and Riza Zalameda took an 8-6 win over No. 5 Amanda Fink/Gabriela Niculescu at court No. 1. It marks the 18th time in 23 matches this season that UCLA has won the doubles point.
The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead almost immediately after singles play began, as freshman Andrea Remynse, ranked 59th nationally, took a dominating 6-1, 6-1 victory over Sarah Fansler at court No. 3. Although USC (17-7; 5-3 Pac-10) answered back with a straight-set win of its own at court No. 4, the Bruins would go ahead 3-1 when senior Alex McGoodwin recorded a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over Cristala Andrews at court No. 6.
Lin ended up clinching the match for the Bruins on Senior Day, as she notched a 6-4, 6-2 win over Niculescu at court No. 2. Fellow senior Elizabeth Lumpkin also picked up a win in her final regular season home match, battling back from a set down to defeat Leyla Entekhabi, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 at court No. 5. Lumpkin, who fought off a match point at 5-6 in the second set tiebreaker, ended the match on an ace to give the Bruins a 5-1 advantage.
In the final match of the afternoon, Fink just edged Zalameda at court No. 1, taking a 5-7, 7-6(4), (10-8) win.
UCLA has finished second in the Pac-10 standings on six prior occasions, as Stanford had won 20 of the 21 conference championships heading into this season. If Stanford beats Cal tomorrow, the Cardinal will receive the Pac-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UCLA can earn the automatic bid with a Cal victory.
With the win, UCLA earns an additional 2.5 points in the race for the Lexus Gauntlet Trophy. USC currently leads the all-sports race 47.5 - 37.5.
Next up for UCLA is the Pac-10 Championships, April 24-27 in Ojai, Calif.
Doubles
| Pos. | Opponents | Score |
| 1. | (2) Lin/Zalameda (UCLA) def. (5) Fink/Niculescu (USC) | 8-6 |
| 2. | Lumpkin/ Stephanie Wetmore (UCLA) def. Andrews/Sanchez (USC) | 8-7(3) |
| 3. | Joelson/McGoodwin (UCLA) def. Entekhabi/Fansler (USC) | 8-2 |
| UCLA Wins Doubles Point -- Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2 | ||
Singles
| Pos. | Opponents | Score |
| 1. | (13) Amanda Fink (USC) def. (11) Riza Zalameda (UCLA) | 5-7, 7-6(4), (10-8) |
| 2. | (32) Tracy Lin (UCLA) def. (90) Gabriela Niculescu (USC) | 6-4, 6-2* |
| 3. | (59) Andrea Remynse (UCLA) def. Sarah Fansler (USC) | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 4. | (92) Maria Sanchez (USC) def. Ashley Joelson (UCLA) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 5. | (88) Elizabeth Lumpkin (UCLA) def. (117) Leyla Entekhabi (USC) | 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 |
| 6. | Alex McGoodwin (UCLA) def. Cristala Andrews (USC) | 6-3, 7-6(6) |
| * Denotes Clinching Match -- Order of Finish: 3, 4, 6, 2, 5, 1 | ||
