UCLA
North Carolina State
UCLA at Kentucky for ITA Kick-Off Weekend
January 25, 2018 | Women's Tennis
The UCLA women's tennis team is in Lexington, Ky. for ITA Kick-Off Weekend, set to begin Friday. The Bruins will begin the two-day event with a match against North Carolina State at 11 a.m. (PT). It will mark the second match of the day at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex, as host No. 21 Kentucky will take on Northwestern at 7 a.m. With a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships on the line, winners of the Friday's matches will meet Saturday at 10 a.m. The consolation match will take place Saturday at 7 a.m. Live stats from the matches will be available HERE.
UCLA vs. NCSU/UK/NU
Friday's match will mark a first between UCLA and NC State. The Bruins, meanwhile, hold a 5-0 all-time mark against Kentucky, including a 4-0 win over the Wildcats in their first-round match at last year's Georgia Tech-hosted ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The doubles team of Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara knocked off the top-ranked duo of Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi to clinch the doubles point en route to the shutout win. UCLA holds a 7-3 all-time record against Northwestern.
Last Week
The Bruins were challenged by visiting UC Santa Barbara, but proved to be too much in a 4-2 win over the Gauchos at Los Angeles Tennis Center on Jan. 19. The match marked the first on the Bruins' home courts since the 2016 finale, due to construction on the Mo Ostin Basketball Center. UCSB jumped out to an early advantage after taking the doubles point, but UCLA countered with the first three wins in singles play. Jada Hart occupied Court 1 and did her job there, clinching the win for the Bruins.
Who's Back?
UCLA returns its entire roster from the 2016-17 campaign, headlined by Shibahara. The sophomore was named an All-American in her first year and also garnered National and Regional Rookie of the Year, Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and Pac-12 Newcomer/Freshman of the Year awards. The duo of Terri Fleming and Hart, meanwhile, was named the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year. All three players also earned All-Pac-12 recognition (Shibahara - First Team; Hart - Second Team; Fleming - Honorable Mention). Andrews (10-10, 12-4), Miller (17-14, 16-10) and Wiley (10-17, 19-5) are also back, while Kelly Shaffer returns after redshirting in last season.
Who's New?
Freshmen Abi Altick (Monroe, La./K12 International Academy) and Sophie Bendetti (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Oaks Christian School) join the Bruins, as does Clemson transfer Ayan Broomfield, who will be eligible to play immediately as a junior. The Toronto, ON, Canada native reached a season-best No. 40 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings last season and posted a 19-15 overall record. She also tallied an 11-11 dual-match mark, playing primarily on Court 1.
Fall Ball
Shibahara got the fall schedule started with a run to the final round of Oracle ITA Masters in September, where she finished as the runner-up in a talented field. At the Cal Fall Invitational later that month, Fleming defeated Altick for the ITA Blue singles championship, while Andrews and Wiley picked up the ITA Gold consolation title. Hart-Shibahara, meanwhile, was awarded the doubles consolation championship at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and Andrews-Hart won the doubles title at the ITA Regional Championships. In November, Altick made a run to the final round of the Jack Kramer Collegiate Tournament, where she fell in three sets. The Bruins recently swept the singles (Shibahara) and doubles (Hart-Shibahara) titles at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings
The Bruins are slotted at No. 16 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Team Rankings, released Jan. 24. Five Bruins found themselves listed in the Nov. 15 singles rankings: No. 16 Ena Shibahara, No. 46 Altick, No. 76 Miller, No. T100 Fleming and No. 119 Hart. The tandems of Hart-Shibahara (No. 7) and Andrews-Hart (No. 27) were recognized among the top doubles teams.
Sampras Webster Nears 400
UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster currently holds a career record of 398-152 (.724), placing her two victories short of the 400-win milestone. Already the winningest coach in program history, she has led the Bruins to two NCAA Championships in her 21 completed seasons. Her teams have also tallied four runner-up finishes. Prior to becoming head coach, Sampras Webster played four seasons at UCLA under predecessor Bill Zaima. Those teams recorded four straight NCAA top-three finishes, while she was named an All-American each of those seasons. Sampras Webster was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame in October.
Players Mentioned
