UCLA
Oklahoma State
No. 15 Bruins to Host Pair of Top-20 Foes
March 13, 2018 | Women's Tennis
The No. 15 UCLA women's tennis team takes a short break from its conference campaign this week to welcome No. 19 Oklahoma State for a midweek match at Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins and Cowgirls will square off Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., in the first of two home matches this week for UCLA. The team will also quickly jump back into league play Sunday, when No. 20 Oregon visits LATC for a noon start. Live stats from each match will be available at uclalivestats.com.
UCLA vs. Oklahoma State/Oregon
The Bruins have faced the Cowgirls just twice, winning both of the previous matchups. UCLA and OSU last faced off in an NCAA Championships second-round match in 2013. The Bruins punched their ticket to the Round of 16 with a 4-0 win, as Pamela Montez, Courtney Dolehide and Catherine Harrison earned singles wins to secure the sweep. Meanwhile, UCLA holds a 21-1 record versus Oregon, which captured its first win against the Bruins during last season's Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, Calif. The Ducks took the doubles point before running off wins in the final three singles matches. UCLA previously knocked off Oregon in a regular-season match at the Oregon Student Tennis Center, 4-1 (March 17).
Last Week
UCLA split the first two matches of the Pac-12 season, falling to then-No. 46 Stanford, 4-3 (March 9), before taking down California, 4-3, a day later. Alaina Miller had the standout performance on the trip, going 2-0 in singles play and joining Ena Shibahara to go 2-0 in doubles, as well. Jada Hart provided the clincher versus the Golden Bears, giving the redshirt sophomore two match-securing wins against Cal on the season.
Reunion Set for March 16-18
The UCLA women's tennis program will bring past and present together March 16-18, 2018, for a special alumni weekend celebration honoring the 10th anniversary of the first NCAA Championship in program history and the life of legendary coach Bill Zaima. The three-day reunion event will culminate with the current Bruins' Sunday dual match versus Oregon at Los Angeles Tennis Center (LATC). All UCLA women's tennis alumnae, along with Bruin Aces supporters, are invited to participate in the festivities, which feature tours of campus and its facilities, an alumnae-current team mixer and a banquet beside NCAA Championship trophy No. 102 in the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. To RSVP, email uclatennisreunion@cmpr.net.
Newcomer Success
Freshman Abi Altick has won seven straight singles decisions, failing to drop a set along the way. She is 8-1 on the dual-match season and leads the Bruins with 22 total wins after a successful fall. The Monroe, La. native has a 4-3 record versus Top-100 players, with two losses coming to teammates Terri Fleming and Ena Shibahara. Ayan Broomfield, who joined the Bruins as a transfer from Clemson in August, has clinched three Bruin victories this season. The junior topped then-No. 61 Claudia Wiktorin of North Carolina State, 6-3, 6-3, to secure UCLA's first ITA Kick-Off Weekend decision (Jan. 26). She also notched deciding wins against Kareena Manji of Saint Mary's, 6-1, 6-4 (Feb. 2), and Siobhan Anderson of LMU (Feb. 16). She has also teamed with Gabby Andrews to secure a pair of doubles points.
UCLA in the Rankings
Five Bruins are ranked among Oracle/ITA's Top 125 singles players, announced March 6. Shibahara is tops among them, as the sophomore sits at No. 8. Hart has moved up to No. 40 having won her last three dual matches. Altick is at No. 46. Hart is slotted at No. 59, while Fleming is at No. 104. Alaina Miller rounds out the list of UCLA singles players in the rankings at No. 118. The doubles list features four Bruin tandems. The team of Hart and Shibahara checks in at No. 8 to lead the way. Hart-Fleming comes in at No. 22, while Andrews-Hart is No. 35 and Andrews-Broomfield is No. 36. Off to an 8-3 start, UCLA is ranked No. 15 in the latest Oracle/ITA team ranking (March 13). The Bruins are tops among Pac-12 schools, and one of three in the Top 25 (Oregon โ No. 20, Stanford โ 25). Washington State (35), Arizona State (37) and Washington (41) are in the Top 50.
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 403-154 (.724). 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.
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
