UCLA
Texas Tech
UCLA to Face Texas Tech at ITA Indoors
February 08, 2018 | Women's Tennis
This week, the UCLA women's tennis travels to Madison, Wisc. for the ITA Division I National Women's Team Indoor Championship. Scheduled to run from Friday, Feb. 9 through Monday, Feb. 12, the tournament features 16 of the nation's top teams, as 15 ITA Kick-Off Weekend-winning qualifiers join host Wisconsin. The Bruins, who defeated North Carolina State and Northwestern as part of the Kentucky regional and hold a 4-0 overall record, will face off with sixth-seeded Texas Tech in the first round. Play from Courts 1-6 begins Friday at 10 a.m. (PT). While the tournament is single elimination, teams are guaranteed three matches. Live scoring and video is available on the ITA Indoors EVENT PAGE.
UCLA vs. Texas Tech
The Bruins have never faced the Lady Raiders, who enter play Friday with wins over Washington (Jan. 19, 4-1), Saint Mary's (Jan. 26, 4-0), Wichita State (Jan. 27, 4-0) and TCU (Feb. 3, 4-2).
Last Week
In its final match before heading to Madison, Wis. for the ITA Team Indoor Championships, UCLA defeated Saint Mary's, 4-0, at Los Angeles Tennis Center (Feb. 2). Ayan Broomfield and Jada Hart each picked up wins in singles and doubles action, with Broomfield providing the clinching victory on Court 3. Hart and Terri Fleming teamed up to clinch the doubles point after the tandem of Gabby Andrews broke through for the first win of the day. In singles, Alaina Miller won on Court 5 and Hart and Broomfield followed suit to make quick work of the Gaels.
Court 1 Kudos
The Bruins have taken care of business on the top court, with Hart and Ena Shibahara combining for a 4-0 mark over their first four matches. Neither player, in fact, has dropped a set on Court 1. Hart holds wins against Palina Dubavets of UC Santa Barbara (6-2, 7-5) and Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary's (6-2, 6-3), while Shibahara has knocked off Anna Rogers of NC State (6-2, 6-4) and then-No. 60 Lee Orr of Northwestern (7-5, 6-1). It is the only court that the Bruins hold an unblemished mark on.
Sampras Webster Wins No. 400
The Bruins' two ITA Kick-Off wins in Kentucky represented a milestone for long-time UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster. Already the winningest coach in program history, the victories represented Nos. 399 and 400 for Sampras Webster, who now holds a record of 401-152 (.725). She has led the Bruins to two NCAA Championships in her 21 completed 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 she was named an All-American each of those seasons. Sampras Webster was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame in October.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings
Thanks to its early-season dual-match success, UCLA has six players ranked among Oracle/ITA's Top 100, announced Wednesday. Shibahara is tops among them, as the sophomore moved up from No. 16 to No. 12. Freshman Abi Altick, meanwhile, jumped from No. 46 to No. 31. A winner of two Court 1 matches, Jada Hart is up to No. 57 from No. 119. Terri Fleming is up to No. 74 from No. 100, while Alaina Miller is in at No. 93 and Ayan Broomfield is into the rankings at No. 94 with wins in each of her four singles matches. The doubles rankings, meanwhile, feature a pair of Bruin tandems. The team of Hart and Shibahara moves up to No. 4 from No. 7, while the duo of Andrews and Hart is up two spots to No. 25. The Bruins jumped from No. 16 to No. 13 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Team Rankings, released Jan. 31. UCLA is one of five Pac-12 teams listed in the poll, joined by No. 1 Stanford, No. 14 California, No. 20 Arizona State and No. 24 Washington.
Fall Ball
Shibahara got the fall schedule started with a run to the final round of Oracle ITA Masters in September, where she finished as the runner-up in a talented field. At the Cal Fall Invitational later that month, Fleming defeated Altick for the ITA Blue singles championship, while Andrews and Wiley picked up the ITA Gold consolation title. Hart-Shibahara, meanwhile, was awarded the doubles consolation championship at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and Andrews-Hart won the doubles title at the ITA Regional Championships. In November, Altick made a run to the final round of the Jack Kramer Collegiate Tournament, where she fell in three sets. The Bruins recently swept the singles (Shibahara) and doubles (Hart-Shibahara) titles at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas.
Players Mentioned
