UCLA
Arizona State
UCLA Streak Snaps in 4-3 Loss to ASU
April 15, 2017 | Women's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 22 UCLA women's tennis team had its seven-match winning streak snapped Saturday at No. 29 Arizona State, 4-3. Neither team led by more than a point during a back-and-forth match.
The Bruin doubles duo of Jada Hart and Terri Fleming, which suffered its first loss of the year Friday at Arizona, rebounded Saturday in an attempt to set the tone for visiting UCLA. No. 24 Hart-Fleming topped No. 73 Alexandra Osborne and Nicole Fossa Huergo on Court 1, 6-1, to move its overall record to 12-1. The Bruin No. 1 pair is also now 4-0 against nationally-ranked opponents on the campaign.
With leads of 4-2 on Court 2 and 4-1 on Court 3, the Sun Devils still appeared primed to take the doubles point. The Bruin pairs had other thoughts, though, as the team of Gabby Andrews and Alaina Miller was able to even the tally at four games apiece with ASU's Kelley Anderson and Savannah Slaysman on Court 2. The home team was able to recover from the Bruin rally, however, to secure a 6-4 win. The loss by Andrews-Miller marked the first in five decisions.
That left it up to the Bruin team of Ena Shibahara and Kristin Wiley to take the afternoon's first point despite its early deficit against Kassidy Jump and Sammi Hampton. Needing to win five games while surrendering no more than one, Shibahara-Wiley did one better, blanking the ASU pair down the stretch to run UCLA's streak of doubles-point wins to 10. The 6-4 win also improved the Court 3 pair's record to 8-0.
The Sun Devils immediately responded in singles play, as No. 102 Anderson defeated defending Pac-12 Player of the Week and No. 107 Hart of the Bruins on Court 3, 6-1, 6-4. Slaysman followed with a straight-set win of her own, 6-3, 6-4 over Andrews on Court 5, to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 lead. The Bruins did not cave, though, as each of the top two courts were still pending and UCLA held the first set on each.
In a battle of each team's top-ranked player, No. 3 Shibahara defeated No. 75 Jump of ASU by a 6-4, 6-3 score. Fleming also notched a win against a ranked opponent, posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 109 Sammi Hampton to sway momentum back in favor of the visitors from Westwood. On a day of back-and-forth decisions, the match fittingly went the distance, as the Sun Devils Fossa Huergo topped Miller on Court 4, 7-6, 6-1.
That left it up to either UCLA's Kristin Wiley or ASU's Gussie O'Sullivan to claim the match. O'Sullivan held off Wiley in a tight first set, 6-4. Wiley responded with the first three games of the second set, but the ASU senior rallied for a 7-5 second-set win to take the match for the Sun Devils and snap the Bruins' win streak at seven matches.
The Bruins will return home Saturday, April 22, when they host crosstown rival USC in the regular-season finale. Play at Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts will begin at 12:00 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Arizona State
Apr 15, 2017 at Tempe, Ariz.
(ASU Whiteman Tennis Center)
#29 Arizona State 4, #22 UCLA 3
Doubles competition
1. #24 Hart/Fleming (UCLA) def. #73 Osborne/Fossa Huergo (ASU) 6-1
2. Anderson/Slaysman (ASU) def. Andrews/Miller (UCLA) 6-4
3. Shibahara/Wiley (UCLA) def. Jump/Hampton (ASU) 6-4
Singles competition
1. #3 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. #75 Kassidy Jump (ASU) 6-4, 6-3
2. Terri Fleming (UCLA) def. #109 Sammi Hampton (ASU) 6-4, 6-4
3. #102 Kelley Anderson (ASU) def. #107 Jada Hart (UCLA) 6-1, 6-4
4. Nicole Fossa Huergo (ASU) def. Alaina Miller (UCLA) 7-6 (4), 6-1
5. Savannah Slaysman (ASU) def. Gabby Andrews (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
6. Gussie O'Sullivan (ASU) def. Kristin Wiley (UCLA) 6-4, 7-5
Match Notes:
UCLA 13-6; National ranking #22
Arizona State 13-6; National ranking #29
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,5,1,2,4,6)
Players Mentioned
