UCLA
Vanderbilt (Championship)
Women's Tennis Falls to Vanderbilt, 4-2 in NCAA Final
May 20, 2015 | Women's Tennis
Waco, Texas - Fourth-seeded Vanderbilt captured its first national championship on Tuesday, and in the process denied UCLA of its second-straight NCAA title, as the Commodores notched a 4-2 victory over the defending champion seventh-seeded Bruins at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center. With the loss, UCLA ends its season at 23-5 overall and comes up just short of becoming the first back-to-back NCAA winners in program history.
Postmatch Press Conference Video | NCAA Championship Central
"I knew that Vanderbilt was going to be a tough team," said UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster, who was aiming to win her third national championship. "We had our best team out there and they were able to be a little more consistent than us. We fought hard to stay in it and just came out a little short. I'm bummed for our seniors because they really wanted this. Vanderbilt just played better than we did."
UCLA struggled to win the doubles point at this year's NCAA Championships, actually going down 0-1 in three of its four matches in Waco. Tuesday was no different and the Bruins suffered losses at courts 1 and 3, giving Vanderbilt the edge heading into singles action. The lone bright spot for the Bruins in doubles came at the No. 2 spot, where third-ranked Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips downed 18th-ranked Ashleigh Antal and Astra Sharma, 8-5.
Although singles play was fairly even, pressure began to build on the Bruins when the Commodores (25-6) moved out to a 2-0 lead after a straight-set victory by Antal over Kaitlin Ray at court No. 6. Ray was the hero in the team's 4-1 win over Georgia in the semifinals but was unable to find that same form on Tuesday, as she dropped the first set 6-1 and then fell in a second-set tiebreaker.
Top-ranked Robin Anderson took care of business as usual at the No. 1 singles position, where she dispatched of eighth-ranked Sydney Campbell, 6-4, 6-1 to cut the lead to 2-1.
"When I first looked at the scoreboard, I was a little bit nervous for our team," said Anderson of how she felt after winning her match. "I knew my teammates were going to fight as hard as they could and I started seeing them come back. I was feeling a little bit more hopeful. I really believe in my team."
Just when it looked like the Bruins were beginning to make a move, Vanderbilt struck again. Courtney Colton, the nation's 61st-ranked player, pulled off an upset at court No. 4, downing the 33rd-ranked Harrison, 7-6(5), 6-4 to give her team a 3-1 lead.
At the point of Harrison's loss, three matches remained on court and the Bruins needed to win all three to stay in the match. UCLA was up a set at courts 2 and 3, however McPhillips was down a set and fighting to stay in the second set at court No. 5. McPhillips' opponent, Marie Casares, actually served for the match at 6-5 in the second set but was unable to hold serve, making the way for an eventual tiebreaker that McPhillips would take 7-4.
With McPhillips now headed to a third set, UCLA cut the lead to 3-2 when 47th-ranked Jennifer Brady downed 96th-ranked Frances Altick, 6-4, 7-6(5) at court No. 3. That match had a dramatic ending, as Altick was assessed a point penalty following her third overrule at 5-5 in the second-set tiebreaker. Brady won the point to go up 6-5 and then the penalty made it 7-5, giving her the match.
At the point of Brady's win, the two remaining matches were in tight third sets, as it was 1-1 at court No. 5, and 2-2 at court No. 2. Most of the fans were beginning to head over to court 2, where 21st-ranked Chanelle Van Nguyen and 42nd-ranked Astra Sharma were battling. The set remained on serve and Sharma would go up 6-5. With Van Nguyen now serving to stay in the match, Sharma began to chip away. She failed to convert her first two match points but didn't let the third slip away, as Van Nguyen hit a forehand just wide on match point to fall 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 and clinch the national championship for the Commodores.
"I knew it was going to be tough," said Sampras Webster of the battle at court No. 2. "Sharma was been playing unbelievable tennis and has clinched a ton of matches so I was a little concerned there because I knew she handled pressure really well. But I also knew that Chanelle wasn't going to give it to her. "Sharma was just a little too tough and Chanelle gave it her all."
Anderson, last year's Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Championships, was named to the all-tournament team at No. 1 singles. Brady made the team at No. 3 singles, and Harrison and McPhillips were named to the team at No. 2 doubles.
UCLA has five players remaining in Waco to take part in the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, which run from May 20-25. Anderson is seeded No. 1 in the 64-player singles draw and will be joined in singles by Brady, Harrison, McPhillips and Van Nguyen. In doubles, Anderson and Brady will take park in the 32-team draw, as will the duo of Harrison and McPhillips.
NCAA Final
#4 Vanderbilt 4, #6 UCLA 2
May 19, 2015 at Waco, TX (Hurd Tennis Center)
| Doubles |
| 1. #20 Campbell/Colton (VANDY) def. #9 Anderson/Brady (UCLA) 8-3 |
| 2. #3 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) def. #18 Antal/Sharma (VANDY) 8-5 |
| 3. Altick/Casares (VANDY) def. Maia Magill/Van Nguyen (UCLA) 8-5 |
Vanderbilt Wins Doubles Point
| Singles |
| 1. #1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. #8 Sydney Campbell (VANDY) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2. #42 Astra Sharma (VANDY) def. #21 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 3. #47 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. #96 Frances Altick (VANDY) 6-4, 7-6(5) |
| 4. #61 Courtney Colton (VANDY) def. #33 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) 7-6(5), 6-4 |
| 5. #120 Marie Casares (VANDY) vs. #35 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) 6-3, 6-7(4), 3-3, unfinished |
| 6. Ashleigh Antal (VANDY) def. #109 Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) 6-1, 7-6(5) |
| Match Notes |
| UCLA 23-5; National ranking #6 |
| Vanderbilt 25-6; National ranking #4 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,1,4,3,2) |
Players Mentioned
