UCLA
USC
Van Nguyen's Victory Propels No. 12 Bruins Past No. 3 USC, 4-3
March 05, 2015 | Women's Tennis
"What can you say, it was a typical match against USC," said UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster of the nearly five-hour affair. "Our matches with them are so unpredictable and exciting because neither team wants to lose. We were fortunate to win that last match. Obviously Chanelle showed a lot of guts and fight and she was able to win it for her team and for the fans who came out to support us. I really think it helped that we were at home. And I'll admit, it was not looking great there for a while. But I knew if Chanelle stayed out there that anything could happen. She was hydrating a lot and you never know when the potassium and electrolytes will kick in and give you that added boost. Needless to say, I'm proud of her for grinding it out and getting that win for her team."
With the team score tied at 3-3, all eyes were on court No. 2 where Van Nguyen and Scandalis were in a tight third set to decide the outcome. It almost never got to that point, however, as Van Nguyen took an injury timeout towards the end of the second set - she won the first set 6-2 - due to cramping. Van Nguyen even received a point penalty for delaying the match while limping along the baseline and unable to serve. After dropping the second set 6-3, Van Nguyen looked to be on the verge of retirement. She somehow was able to regroup between sets and looked much stronger to start the third, evening going up a break for a 5-2 lead. It was at that time, however, that she began to cramp again and it looked as if Scandalis would surely get back into the match. She did just that, claiming the next three games to tie it at 5-5. But Van Nguyen stayed the course, fighting to take the match to a tiebreaker where she ultimately won 7-4 after a backhand volley by Scandalis sailed just wide on match point.
"I never thought of quitting," said Van Nguyen in reference to the multiple time violations she received in the second set. "I just wanted to take some time and see if it would get better. I definitely played better in the third set and I think (Scandalis) helped me a lot too because she was making some errors. And I also got lucky on some points. My style of play is to grind it out and Rance (Brown) was just telling me that if I got a short ball that I had to go for it. That's what I did and it worked out. I've cramped in matches before but never for that long. It seemed like I was battling it for the entire final two sets. It was just horrible."
Prior to Van Nguyen's victory, UCLA's Robin Anderson (court No. 1) and Kaitlin Ray (court No. 5) were both able to notch straight-set wins to keep UCLA in the match. The Bruins also claimed the one point awarded for doubles play following victories at court Nos. 1 and 2. Doubles was extremely close with the point coming down to the No. 2 spot where Anderson and Van Nguyen prevailed in a tiebreaker over Zoe Katz and Sabrina Santamaria, 8-7(2).
USC's three points on the day came at court Nos. 3, 4 and 6.
The win by women's tennis over USC increases UCLA's lead in the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup to 75-20. The Bruins have dominated the all-sport rivalry this year, winning 15 of 17 head-to-head meetings in the 2014-15 race. Wednesday's match was televised live by the Pac-12 Networks. For replay information please click HERE.
UCLA's week doesn't get much easier, as the Bruins round out the week in Waco, Texas against No. 4 Baylor on Saturday.
#12 UCLA 4, #3 USC 3
Mar 04, 2015 at Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Tennis Center)
| Doubles |
| 1. #2 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) def. #15 Olmos/Scandalis (USC) 8-3 |
| 2. #38 Anderson/Van Nguyen (UCLA) def. Zoe Katz/Santamaria (USC) 8-7(2) |
| 3. Smith/Westby (USC) def. Fleming/Kristin Wiley (UCLA) 8-4 |
UCLA Wins Doubles Point
| Singles |
| 1. #3 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. #17 Giuliana Olmos (USC) 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2. #7 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) def. #36 Zoe Scandalis (USC) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) |
| 3. #46 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. #28 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) 6-2, 6-0 |
| 4. #106 Madison Westby (USC) def. #72 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 5. #91 Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) def. #89 Gabby Smith (USC) 7-5, 6-2 |
| 6. #94 Meredith Xepoleas (USC) def. Terri Fleming (UCLA) 6-2, 7-6(6) |
| Match Notes |
| USC 10-2; National ranking #3 |
| UCLA 9-2; National ranking #12 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,1,5,4,6,2) |
Players Mentioned
