UCLA
Fresno State
No. 32 UCLA Downs No. 38 Fresno State
March 22, 2016 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Rallying from a 2-0 deficit, the No. 32 UCLA women's tennis team registered a 5-2 win over No. 38 Fresno State on Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Bruins avenge the 4-3 loss they suffered to the Bulldogs back in January at the 2016 ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
The Bruins (10-4, 2-1) got off to a slow start, dropping the doubles point on courts 2 and 3. Despite early leads, UCLA's duos of Terri Fleming/Kelly Shaffer and Alaina Miller/Kristin Wiley were unable to hold on for the wins. Both pairs fell 6-4 to their Fresno State opponents.
In singles play, UCLA picked up the pace taking four of six first sets. At the bottom of the lineup, however, the Bulldogs quickly extended their lead to 2-0 as Sofya Malysheva downed Laura Luca in straights.
Kyle McPhillips put the first Bruin point on the board. After taking the first set 6-3, McPhillips had a commanding 5-1 lead over Fresno State's Sophie Watts in the second. The UCLA senior held at deuce to take the match in straights.
Kyle McPhillips puts the Bruins on the board with a straight-set win over Sophie Watts! #GoBruins #UCLA pic.twitter.com/4PXDjwqgcB
— UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) March 22, 2016
UCLA then registered two more wins to take its first lead of the match. Freshman Alaina Miller evened the score with a straight-set win over Galina Bykova on court 4. Shortly after, Fleming downed Rana Sherif Ahmed in straights on court 3 to give the Bruins a 3-2 advantage.
The deciding point came from the top of the lineup as No. 18 Catherine Harrison battled with No. 36 Mayar Sherif Ahmed on court 1. Ahmed slowly chipped away at Harrison's 5-3 lead in the second set. At deuce, Harrison broke Ahmed's serve to quell the Bulldogs' comeback attempt and clinch for the Bruins.
Cat Harrison breaks M. Sherif Ahmed at deuce to clinch for #UCLA! Bruins win! #GoBruins #ImABruin pic.twitter.com/ClsLIvVSaS
— UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) March 22, 2016
Next up, the Bruins host No. 35 Oregon. The conference clash takes place Saturday, Mar. 26, at noon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
#32 UCLA 5, #38 Fresno State 2
Mar 22, 2016 at Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Tennis Center)
| Doubles competition |
| 1. #7 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) vs. #19 M. Sherif Ahmed/R. Sherif Ahmed (FS) 5-4, unfinished |
| 2. Watts/Watts (FS) def. Fleming/Shaffer (UCLA) 6-4 |
| 3. Malysheva/Noble (FS) def. Wiley/Miller (UCLA) 6-4 |
| Singles competition |
| 1. #18 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. #36 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (FS) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2. Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. Sophie Watts (FS) 6-3, 6-1 |
| 3. Terri Fleming (UCLA) def. Rana Sherif Ahmed (FS) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 4. Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. Galina Bykova (FS) 6-2, 6-4 |
| 5. Kristin Wiley (UCLA) def. Anneka Watts (FS) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7) |
| 6. Sofya Malysheva (FS) def. Laura Luca (UCLA) 6-0, 6-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Fresno State 10-7; National ranking #38 |
| UCLA 10-4; National ranking #32 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,4,3,1,5) |
Players Mentioned
