UCLA
Fresno State
No. 12 Bruins Rout Fresno St. in NCAA Tourney Opener
May 11, 2018 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 12-seeded UCLA women's team opened its record 37th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a resounding 4-0 victory over Fresno State on Friday afternoon at Los Angeles Tennis Center.
With the sweep, the Bruins (21-5) advance to face No. 25-ranked Baylor (18-13) โย whichย defeated No. 36 NC State earlier in the day at LATC in a First Round matchup of their own โย in the Los Angeles Regional Final on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
The Bruins began the contest with a convincing conversion of the doubles point.
On court three, Alaina Miller and Ena Shibahara overwhelmed the FSU (12-13) duo of Olivia Noble and Katerina Stloukalova with a 6-1 decision to take an early advantage. The result stretched Miller/Shibahara's unbeaten streak in doubles to 16 straight matches dating back to Feb. 23.
The Bruins also held advantages on the top courts, but it was eventually the seventh-ranked Jada Hart/Terri Fleming pairing on court one that got the job done first, topping FSU's No. 50-ranked Lawson/Wilson to finish the doubles portion of the match.
Jada Hart and Terri Fleming deliver the doubles point for UCLA with a 6-4 win on court one pic.twitter.com/DoGQesMjWg
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) May 11, 2018
UCLA was even more dominant in singles play, especially on the back courts.
Each of the six Bruins playing singles won their first sets, but junior Alaina Miller on court six and freshman Abi Altick on court four dominated their opponents, dropping just one game combined between the two of them.
Both put goose eggs up against their opponents in the first set, and it was Miller who finished her match off first despite dropping a game, 6-0, 6-1. Miller has now lost just once in her last 15 singles contests.
Miller puts the Bruins up 2-0 after a 6-0, 6-1 downing on court 6 pic.twitter.com/sf3R8SjRZ2
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) May 11, 2018
Altick, the No. 67-ranked singles player in the country, moments later capped off a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of opponent Ndindi Ndunda, putting the Bruins on the doorstep of victory. It was the first time in Altick's collegiate career that she pulled off a singles win without dropping a game.
Abi Altick follows with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep on court four to put the Bruins up 3-0. pic.twitter.com/gjMI7fQFjA
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) May 11, 2018
UCLA was in position to finish off the Bulldogs on courts one and five, and Shibahara on court one ended up breaking through first.
Shibahara, the No. 9-ranked singles player heading into the weekend, routed opponent Emma Wilson 6-0 in the first set, but faced a pushback in the second with Wilson taking her to a tiebreaker.
In the tiebreak, Shibahara took an early 4-1 lead thanks to a pair of impressive backhand winners, but Wilson would battle back with three straight points to tie it at 4-4, and the two would trade the next four points en route to a six-all deadlock.
Serving at six-all, Shibahara set herself up for match point with a wicked serve up the middle, inducing a return into the net. She converted on the next play, hitting a deep backhander that got Wilson off balance and forced a forehand into the net.
Ena Shibahara survives a second set tiebreaker on court two, and finishes off the win for UCLA! pic.twitter.com/duLEjIvHk5
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) May 11, 2018
The ending of the match was briefly halted by a rain delay with Shibahara up 4-3 in the tiebreaker. Play was suspended for about five minutes.
The Bruins defeated Fresno State in an earlier matchup this season, blanking FSU with straight sets wins on courts 3-5 paired with the doubles win.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,1,4
Players Mentioned
