No. 5 Women's Tennis Hosts No. 8 USC Friday

Friday, February 27

Los Angeles, Calif.

1:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

No. 8 USC

Olivia Center (Photo: Laura Casadonte)

No. 5 Women's Tennis Hosts No. 8 USC Friday

February 25, 2026 | Women's Tennis

MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 8 USC
Venue: Los Angeles Tennis Center
Date: Friday, Feb. 27
Time: 1 p.m. PT
Watch / Live Scoring: https://ucla.in/3R2WTGN

The fifth-ranked UCLA women's tennis team, winner of three consecutive matches, hosts No. 8 USC in non-conference action Friday. First serve from Los Angeles Tennis Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. The Bruins (5-2) most recently came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat then-No. 14 Pepperdine 4-3 away from home. The Trojans (7-3) are trying to get back into the win column after dropping a road decision of their own to Pepperdine. This is UCLA's GolDEN Match, featuring an appearance by the UCLA Band and free pizza for the first 100 fans after doubles.

FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA women's tennis matches can still follow live. Up-to-the-second scoring and streaming are available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE. Additionally, in-match updates for home and road contests can be found on the UCLA women's tennis X account.

PAST MATCHUPS
Series vs. USC: UCLA leads 63-53
Most Recent vs. USC: UCLA won 4-2 on April 16, 2025 (Recap)

LAST TIME OUT
Eighth-ranked UCLA won a marathon match at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center Feb. 20, beating No. 14 Pepperdine 4-3 behind Kate Fakih. The sophomore delivered the deciding victory in three sets on Court 3. Fakih secured the final three games to defeat Chantal Sauvant 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 and complete a comeback for the Bruins. The Waves earned the doubles point and led 2-0 and 3-2, but Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, Olivia Center, Mayu Crossley and Fakih would prevail for UCLA.

IN THE RANKINGS
Team (Feb. 24): No. 5 UCLA
Singles (Feb. 19): No. 49 Mayu Crossley, No. 122 Kate Fakih
Doubles (Feb. 19): No. 62 Olivia Center/Kate Fakih

LUTKEMEYER EARNS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer was selected Big Ten Player of the Week Wednesday, the conference announced. The senior led the Bruins to a top-15 road victory, with the team coming from behind to beat Pepperdine 4-3 (Feb. 20). Lutkemeyer started her day with a dominant doubles display, pairing with Ahmani Guichard to beat Alexia Harmon/Chantal Sauvant 6-1 on Court 2. Then, with her team facing a 2-0 deficit, Lutkemeyer dealt No. 57 Ziva Falkner a 6-3, 6-3 top-court defeat to start the comeback. Lutkemeyer is 3-0 versus nationally-ranked singles players in 2026, with the latest triumph her best in terms of ranking. The honor is Lutkemeyer's first of 2025-26. She collected two during the 2025 dual season, most recently on April 9, 2025.

CROSSLEY NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Mayu Crossley earned the third Big Ten Freshman of the Week award of her career Wednesday, the conference announced. No other current freshman has more than two. Crossley finished strong to help the Bruins secure a come-from-behind 4-3 victory at Pepperdine (Feb. 20). Both teams were ranked in the ITA's top 15. The Tokyo native suffered a doubles loss and dropped her first set with Sonja Zhiyenbayeva on the second singles court before bouncing back to prevail 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. The win, Crossley's fourth in a row, pulled UCLA level at 3-3. Currently ranked No. 49 individually by the ITA, Crossley has a 6-1 dual singles record.

2025-26 AWARD WATCH
Crossley Earns Sweep of Big Ten Weekly Awards – Feb. 4
Guichard Named a Big Ten Women's Tennis Player to Watch – Jan. 5
Crossley Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award – Nov. 17, 2025
Guichard Voted Big Ten Player of the Week to Start New Season – Sept. 24, 2025

FALL RECAP
The Bruins completed the individual portin of their 2025-26 schedule with a number of standout performances to show for it. Ahmani Guichard had a well-rounded run through the fall, posting team highs of six singles wins (6-3) and five doubles victories (5-2). Freshman Mayu Crossley qualified for the NCAA Championship singles tournament, earning her spot by reaching the ITA West Sectional Championships semifinal round. Kate Fakih had a team-best two ranked singles wins, knocking off a pair of top-50 counterparts at the ITA All-American Championships. She also teamed with Guichard to claim the ITA West Sectionals doubles consolation title. Fakih (5-4) and freshman Kayla Chung (5-2) won five singles matches each.

2024-25 IN REVIEW
Unseeded despite winning nine of its final 10 matches going into NCAA Championship play, UCLA (18-9, 10-3 in Big Ten play) made the tournament's round of 16 by outlasting host and 15th-seeded Vanderbilt in a 4-3 thriller. There were also a number of individual highlights for the Bruins, who saw Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer take a big step forward. She received All-Big Ten First Team recognition and was named the ITA Southwest Region Player to Watch after taking over the top singles court. Olivia Center and Kate Fakih (ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year) teamed for a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship doubles tournament, earning the freshmen All-America honors.

WHO'S BACK?
Kate Fakih and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer each bring more than 50 combined singles and doubles wins back from the 2024-25 UCLA roster. The sophomore doubles connection of Fakih and Olivia Center, who also returns, logged a team-best 31-9 record and reached the NCAA Championship doubles final during its debut season. The pair recorded 13 ranked wins and each was tabbed an All-American. Fakih coupled that showing with a 28-11 singles mark to lead the Bruins. Lutkemeyer's breakout junior campaign saw her go 27-10 in singles matches and 29-10 in doubles contests. She found her home on the top singles court and beat a team-leading 13 ranked players. Ahmani Guichard, another returner, was Lutkemeyer's most frequent doubles partner and a stalwart contributor to the singles lineup. Bianca Fernandez also brings multiple completed dual-match results back into the fold.

WHO'S NEW?
Freshmen Kayla Chung, Mayu Crossley and Rona Rugara debut for the Bruins in 2025-26. Chung's (Stanton, Calif. / The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School) résumé includes the Girls' 16 doubles championship at the 2023 Easter Bowl in Indian Well, Calif. alongside Alanis Hamilton. The pair also registered runner-up finishes at the 2023 Billie Jean King National Championships in San Diego and at the 2023 FILA International Junior Championships in Indian Wells. Crossley (Tokyo, Japan / Grandview Preparatory School [FL]) participated in each Grand Slam, playing singles and doubles at each, as a junior. She also achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 5 in 2023. Rugara (Johannesburg, South Africa / Florida Virtual School) picked up nine ITF junior titles from 2023-25. She also teamed with Roxy Bredenkamp to capture the women's doubles title at the 2025 Mbombela Open in Mbombela, South Africa.

BRUINS ON TOUR
Ena Shibahara, who played for UCLA during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, has starred in doubles tournaments throughout her professional career and saw her career-high singles ranking rise from No. 503 in 2024 to No. 116 in 2025. She made her Grand Slam singles debut at the 2024 US Open, reaching the main draw as a qualifier before taking down Australia's Daria Saville in three sets. Shibahara advanced through singles qualifying again at the 2025 US Open and nearly accomplished the same feat at Wimbledon. She made her first WTA Tour singles quarterfinal at the 2025 ATX Open, beating then-No. 76 Kimberly Birrell of Australia to get there. Shibahara earned her first Grand Slam championship in 2022, teaming with Wesley Koolhof to seize the mixed doubles title at Roland-Garros. Shibahara made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara/Aoyama was the last pair standing at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, giving each player her second WTA 1000 championship. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022 and currently sits at No. 67.

A STELLAR 30 YEARS FOR STELLA
The 2025-26 season represents Stella Sampras Webster's 30th as head coach of the UCLA women's tennis program. The second-longest-tenured active head coach at UCLA behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin, Sampras Webster has compiled an impressive overall record of 547-203 (.729) at the helm of her alma mater. Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego on April 18, 2023. She has guided UCLA to NCAA championships in 2014 and 2008, the first two in program history, and all three of its conference titles: 2024, 2021 and 2008 while in the Pac-12. Sampras Webster's teams have finished top-10 nationally in 23 of her 28 completed seasons and in the top five 16 times. Four NCAA individual championships have been won under her watch: Tian Fangran in 2023, Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield in 2019, Tracy Lin/Riza Zalameda in 2008 and Daniela Bercek/Lauren Fisher in 2004. Sampras Webster is a four-time Wilson ITA Southwest Regional Coach of the Year – in 2024, 2021, 2012 and 2000 – and earned the national award in 2012. She was a four-time All-America honoree during her playing days at UCLA and as a freshman won the 1988 NCAA doubles title alongside Allyson Cooper. Following her professional career, Sampras Webster spent four seasons (1993-96) on the staff of friend and mentor Bill Zaima before taking the reins. Sampras Webster was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.