UCLA
Oregon
Bruins Fall to Ducks in Pac-12 Quarters, 4-3
April 27, 2017 | Women's Tennis
OJAI, Calif. -- In a four-hour battle on the second day of play at the Pac-12 Championships, the fourth-seeded UCLA women's tennis team dropped a narrow quarterfinal decision to fifth-seeded Oregon at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club, 4-3. The Bruins' Gabby Andrews pushed Daniela Nasser with all eyes on Court 5, but the Oregon sophomore was able to secure a 7-5 third-set win to clinch the match.
The Oregon duo of Nasser and Marylou Kluiving got the Ducks off on the right foot, as it defeated the previously unbeaten Bruin pair of Ena Shibahara and Kristin Wiley on Court 3, 6-1. Jada Hart and Terri Fleming countered for UCLA with a 6-3 win on Court 1 to put the pressure on the Court 2 teams. Ultimately, it was the Duck team of Nia Rose and Julia Eshet that came out victorious, as it clinched the first point of the match with a 6-3 decision over Andrews and Alaina Miller on Court 2. The doubles loss marked the first by the Bruins in doubles play since Feb. 26.
Five of the six singles matches went to three sets, beginning with Court 1, where Shibahara was able to respond to a dropped first set to defeat Tobita, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. Fellow Bruin freshman Jada Hart needed a second-set tiebreak, but she managed to give UCLA its first lead of the match with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) win over Rose on Court 3. Like her doubles partner, Shibahara, Wiley dropped a first set, but was able to rebound with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kluiving to put the Bruins within a point of a quarterfinal win.
The Ducks fought back, though, as Eshet stepped in the way of the Bruins' run to begin singles. The freshman split the first two sets with UCLA's Miller on Court 3, but was able to take the third, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Back in the match with a chance to tie, Oregon's Sangwan defeated Fleming on Court 2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. With backs against the wall, each of the sophomores looked poised to take the match at different points of the third and final set. In the end, it was Nasser who gave her team a berth to the semifinals, as the Ducks secured their first win in 22 opportunities against the Bruins.
The Bruins will now await the NCAA.com Selection Show to discover their status for the upcoming NCAA Championships. The show will air at 2:30 p.m. (PT) on May 2. The first and second round of the NCAAs will take place May 12-13.
No. 5 Oregon 4, No. 4 UCLA 3
Doubles
1. Hart/Fleming (UCLA) def. Tobita/Sangwan (ORE), 6-3
2. Rose/Eshet (ORE) def. Andrews/Miller (UCLA), 6-3
3. Nasser/Kluiving (ORE) def. Shibahara/Wiley (UCLA), 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles:
1. Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. Alyssa Tobita (ORE), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Shweta Sangwan (ORE) def. Terri Fleming (UCLA), 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
3. Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Nia Rose (ORE), 6-2, 7-6(6)
4. Julia Eshet (ORE) def. Alaina Miller (UCLA), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
5. Daniela Nasser (ORE) def. Gabby Andrews (UCLA), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
6. Kristin Wiley (UCLA) def. Marlou Kluiving (ORE), 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 6, 4, 2, 5
Players Mentioned
