UCLA
Oregon
UCLA Heads to Ojai for Pac-12 Championships
April 25, 2017 | Women's Tennis
For the first time, the Pac-12 will have its women's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships datermined at the Pac-12 Tennis Championships. Eleven teams will participate in the four-day event in Ojai, Calif. The first two rounds, plus the semifinals, will take place at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club and the Weil Tennis Academy. Saturday's championship match (3:00 p.m.), meanwhile, will take place at Libbey Park and be broadcast by Pac-12 Network. Full coverage, with live results, will be available at pac-12.com/tennischamps.
UCLA vs. Oregon -- By virtue of a head-to-head decision claimed by Arizona State, UCLA will enter the Pac-12 Championships as the No. 4 seed. The Bruins will face off with No. 5 Oregon at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club on Thursday (11:00 a.m). UCLA previously defeated the Ducks in its first Pac-12 road match of the season on March 17. After the team of Ena Shibahara and Kristin Wiley clinched the doubles point, Oregon knotted the match when Wiley was forced to retire on Court 6. The Bruins quickly recovered, however, as Jada Hart, Gabby Andrews and Alaina Miller each claimed a straight-set victory. UCLA holds a 21-0 all-time record against Oregon.
Week in Review -- The Bruins wrapped up their regular season with a 4-3 home loss to crosstown rival USC. Though UCLA got off on the right foot with the match's doubles point, the Trojans went on to claim the first three singles decisions. Hart and Shibahara quickly responded, though, as the freshmen almost simultaneously tied the match. That left the clincher on Court 2, where USC's Gabby Smith won a battle with the Bruins' Terri Fleming, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings -- The Bruins checked in at No. 23 in the latest Oracle/ITA Division I Women's National Team Rankings, which were announced Tuesday. With their April 22 loss to USC, the Bruins fell one spot from their previous placement. Singles rankings were also updated Tuesday, as Shibahara remained among the nation's best at No. 3. In doubles, meanwhile, the Bruins' current three doubles teams also found themselves ranked in the top 100. Fleming-Hart checked in at No. 28, Andrews-Miller made a return at No. 59 and Shibahara-Wiley rounded out the trio of teams, making its first appearance at No. 79. The team of Hart-Shibahara, which most recently played together in a Feb. 26 match versus Pepperdine, is currently ranked No. 14. This marks the first time this season that four Bruin doubles teams are ranked.
Doubles Domination -- Since a shake up on March 4, the Bruins have won 11 consecutive doubles points. The teams of Fleming-Hart, Andrews-Miller and Shibahara Wiley have gone a combined 22-3 over that stretch. They are also 7-0 against nationallly-ranked opponents. On the dual-match season, Bruin doubles teams are 36-10, including 20-3 in conference play.
Freshman Sensation -- Freshman Shibahara is in the midst of two lengthy streaks heading into the Pac-12 Championships. The first-year player, who holds a 36-5 record on the year (16-2 in dual-match play) has won 10 straight matches in singles play. In doubles, meanwhile, the duo of Shibahara-Wiley has yet to lose (9-0). Another freshman, Hart, has a 17-10 overall singles record (10-7 in dual matches) and a 26-6 doubles mark (15-3 in dual-match play).
Player of the Week Honors -- The Bruins completed the regular season with four Pac-12 Player of the Week awards. That number was tied for most in the conference, with California and USC. UCLA's Hart (Jan. 30, April 10) and Shibahara (Feb. 6, March 13) earned the honors for the Bruins. Only three honorees claimed more than one award this season--Hart, Shibahara and USC's Smith, who won three. UCLA has garnered 19 all-time Pac-12 Player of the Week nods.
Sampras Webster Nears 400 -- UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster currently holds a career record of 396-155, placing her four victories short of the 400-win milestone. Already the winningest coach in program history, she has led the Bruins to two NCAA Championships in her 21 seasons. Her teams have also tallied four runner-up finishes. Prior to becoming head coach, Sampras Webster played four seasons at UCLA under predecessor Bill Zaima. Those teams recorded four straight NCAA top-three finishes, while Sampras Webster was named an All-American each of those seasons.
Professional Bruins -- January's Australian Open provided a plethora of moments to make Bruin supporters proud. Jennifer Brady, a two-time All-American who advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Draw in 2015, reached the Round of 16 in Melbourne with a win over 14th-seeded Elena Vesnina of Russia. She joined Barbara Gerken (U.S. Open quarterfinals, 1981), Patricia Hy-Boulais (Wimbledon fourth round, 1997) and Kimberly Po (Australian Open quarterfinals, 1997 and U.S. Open fourth round, 1998) as Bruin tennis alums to reach the Round of 16 in a Grand Slam tournament. Another Bruin tennis alum, Abigail Spears, also starred Down Under. Spears, who starred for UCLA in 2000, claimed the Australian Open mixed doubles championship alongside partner Juan Sebastian Cabal.The win marked the first Grand Slam title for the pair, which knocked off the second-seeded duo of Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig, 6-2, 6-4, despite being unseeded.
Players Mentioned
