UCLA
USC
UCLA Welcomes USC for Crosstown Clash
April 20, 2017 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 22 UCLA women's tennis team will wrap up its regular season Saturday with a visit from crosstown rival and No. 32 USC. The Bruins take a 13-6 (7-2 Pac-12) record into the match, while the Trojans check in at 10-9 (5-4).
UCLA has won seven of eight matches and most recently returned from its desert trip with a split against Arizona and Arizona State. The team of Terri Fleming and Jada Hart dropped its first match of the season against the Wildcats, but the Bruins still managed to extend their streak of doubles points to 10 over the weekend. Gabby Andrews clinched the win over Arizona for UCLA, as the sophomore dispatched Sophia Thomas on Court 5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. The Bruins pushed the Sun Devils to the limit Saturday, as Kristin Wiley could not quite overcome Gussie O'Sullivan on Court 6.
Ena Shibahara went unbeaten in Arizona, as the freshman improved her singles record to 35-5 and her doubles mark with Kristin Wiley to 8-0. Shibahara remained slotted at No. 3 when the Oracle/ITA rankings were announced Tuesday. Hart sits at No. 120 and is also part of both ranked doubles teams. The redshirt freshman joins Shibahara at No. 8 and Fleming at No. 25.
The Trojans also dropped their most recent match, a 4-3 setback to Pepperdine, but have won their last four in Pac-12 play after starting 1-4. They are represented by Gabby Smith (No. 27), Jessica Failla (No. 46) and Zoë Katz (No. 121) in the singles rankings, as well as the teams of Katz-Smith (No. 37) and Angela Kulikov-Madison Westby (No. 69) in doubles.
When the Bruins squared off with the Trojans in non-conference play in February, the Bruins made quick work of their rivals on the doubles courts. In singles, wins by Shibahara and Andrews pushed the UCLA lead to an insurmountable 3-0. Failla of the Trojans made a dent in the Bruins advantage, but Hart pulled out a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Rianna Valdes to clinch the match. UCLA to win the match by a 4-3 score.
A number of streaks will be on the line Saturday, on top of the Bruins' 10-straight doubles points. Shibahara has run off nine straight wins, while Terri Fleming has recorded three victories in a row. In doubles Shibahara-Wiley is working on an eight-match run. For the Trojans, Failla has tallied six straight wins, while Kulikov has notched three straight of her own. In doubles, the Katz-Smith tandem has been victorious on seven straight occasions.
Saturday's match will mark the 102nd in the history of the UCLA-USC women's tennis rivalry. The Bruins hold a narrow 52-49 advantage.
Players Mentioned
