UCLA
Stanford
Bruins Hit Bay Area to Open Pac-12 Play
March 08, 2018 | Women's Tennis
The No. 13 UCLA women's tennis team is back in action this week for the first time since Feb. 24, set to open Pac-12 play with matches at No. 46 Stanford and California. Friday, the Bruins take on the Cardinal (1:30 p.m.) at Taube Family Tennis Center, with live scoring and video available at streamingtennis.com. A day later, the Bruins will take on the Golden Bears for the second time in as many weeks. The Hellman Tennis Complex will play host to the teams' first conference match of the campaign, with action starting at noon. Live streaming and scoring will be available at calbears.com.
UCLA vs. Stanford/Cal
The Bruins hold a 19-77 all-time mark versus the Cardinal. Last season's match was pushed to six points, with No. 14 Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott knocking off Gabby Andrews in three sets to clinch. The No. 28 Bruins' Terri Fleming tacked on a win to finalize the score at 4-3. UCLA is 42-35 against Cal, knocking off the Golden Bears at Los Angeles Tennis Center, 5-2, in the Bruins' most recently-played match. The Bruins earned the first five points of the nonconference match before the Golden Bears captured the final two. Ena Shibahara and Jada Hart each defeated fellow ranked opponents, with Hart providing the clincher.
Last Week
Rain postponed the Bruins' nonconference date with crosstown rival USC.
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 five straight singles decisions, failing to drop a set along the way. She is 6-1 on the dual-match season and leads the Bruins with 20 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
Thanks to their early-season dual-match success, 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 8-2 start, UCLA is ranked No. 13 in the latest Oracle/ITA team ranking. The Bruins are tops among Pac-12 schools, and one of two in the Top 25 (Oregon โ No. 21). Arizona State (34), Stanford (46), USC (47) and Washington State (50) 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
