University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bruins Head to Ohio for NCAA Regionals
May 11, 2016 | Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 27 UCLA women's tennis team heads to Columbus, Ohio, for first- and second-round play of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship. The NCAA Regionals take place May 13-14 at Ohio State's Varsity Tennis Center.
The Bruins (14-6) take on Notre Dame (14-13) in the first round on Friday, May 13, at 7 am PDT. The other first-round match on Friday features fourth-seeded Ohio State (28-2) and Youngstown State (12-12). The two winners will meet in the second round on Saturday, May 14, at 1 pm PDT.
Teams that advance through NCAA Regional play will earn a spot in the NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla., where teams will compete for the national championship May 19-24. The event will be hosted by the University of Tulsa.
PAC-12 RECAP
In her second straight trip to the Pac-12 Singles Championship match, defending champion Catherine Harrison was unable to capture back-to-back titles as she fell to top-seeded Maegan Manasse of Cal in the final. En route to the title match, Harrison downed four ranked players—three were in straight sets. In the Doubles Invitational final, sophomore Terri Fleming and freshman Alaina Miller upset second-seeded Sammi Hampton and Kassidy Jump of Arizona State. The Bruin pair held to take the set, 6-3, and capture the title.
The Bruins finished fifth in the conference with a 6-3 mark in Pac-12 play.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
UCLA seniors Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips earned All-Pac-12 honors for the 2016 season, the conference announced last week. Harrison was selected to the First Team and McPhillips received a Second Team nod. This was Harrison's second All-Pac-12 honor and McPhillips' fourth All-Pac-12 honor. As a freshman, McPhillips earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Second Team honors. Her sophomore and junior years, McPhillips made the Honorable Mention list.
On Monday, Harrison was named the ITA Southwest Region Senior Player of the Year.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
The Bruins are led by the usual suspects in singles, with No. 17 Catherine Harrison at the helm. Harrison owns a 16-2 dual match record at the top of the lineup and is 12-3 against ranked opponents this spring. Against ranked Pac-12 opponents, the Bruin senior was 9-2—her only losses at the hands of Cal's Maegan Manasse on Feb. 20 and in the Pac-12 Singles Championship match (Apr. 24). Playing in the No. 2 spot, senior Kyle McPhillips is 15-3 and 5-3 against ranked opponents. Splitting time at Nos. 3 and 4, Miller has compiled a 13-5 mark this spring and is 7-2 at the three spot. Sophomore Terri Fleming began the season at No. 5 and has played her way up the lineup. Fleming is 5-2 since securing the No. 3 spot in the lineup on March 12 against Stanford.
In doubles play, seventh-ranked Harrison and McPhillips own a 13-2 record and are 6-1 against ranked opponents. Most notably, the pair has downed Pepperdine's third-ranked Matea Cutura and Christine Maddox (Feb. 18), Cal's second-ranked Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr (Feb. 20), and USC's eighth-ranked Giuliana Olmos and Gabby Smith (Feb. 25).
NCAA SINGLES/DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Harrison received an at-large bid into the Division 1 singles championship to take place following the team championship. In doubles, Harrison and McPhillips are an at-large selection for the Division I doubles championships.
Single day tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth/students (with valid ID), and can be purchased at the entrance to the Varsity Outdoor Tennis Center. All session tickets can be purchased online. For more information about NCAA Regional action, visit Tournament Central via OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
For updates, follow UCLA Women's Tennis on Twitter.
