Thursday, April 26
Ojai, CA
2:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Oregon
UCLA aims for its first Pac-12 Tournament Championship this weekend
Photo by: Scott Chandler
#2 Bruins Trek to Ojai For Pac-12 Championships
April 25, 2018 | Women's Tennis
UCLA Heads to Ojai for Pac-12 Championships
The 13th-ranked UCLA women's tennis team heads to Ventura County this week for the Pac-12 Tennis Championships, held in Ojai, Calif. from Wednesday, Apr. 25 to Saturday, Apr. 28. The Bruins enter the tournament as the #2 seed, which comes with a first round bye. UCLA's first contest in the tourney will be on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between #7 Oregon and #10 Utah. Should the Bruins advance, they would play in the semifinals on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and in the final on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The women's final will be televised on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles.
Bruins vs. Oregon, Utah
UCLA has experienced plenty of success in the past against both Oregon and Utah, the #7 and #10 seeds in the Pac-12 Tournament, respectively. The Bruins are 22-1 all-time against the Ducks, including a 20-1 mark since the turn of the milennium. UCLA has won 116 of 140 sets (83%) against Oregon, including eight sweeps. UCLA's lone loss against the Ducks came in the quarterfinals of last year's conference tournament, as fifth-seeded Oregon edged UCLA 4-3. The Bruins are an undefeated 17-0 all-time against Utah, including a 7-0 mark since the Utes joined the Pac-12 before the 2011-12 campaign. As league-mates, UCLA has won 36 of 43 sets (84%) against Utah including a trio of sweeps.
Last Week in Review
The Bruins capped off the regular season last week with a pair of wins, shaking off a 3-1 deficit to defeat No. 10 Pepperdine 4-3 on the road before sweeping No. 47 USC on Saturday, which was also the team's Senior Day. Wednesday's contest in Malibu was full of drama. First, Shibahara/Miller had to win a tiebreaker on court three to clinch the doubles point. Then, Pepperdine went on to win the first three singles points, but UCLA stormed back to win set threes on courts one, two, and six to complete the comeback.
Getting Hot at the Right Time
UCLA enters the conference championship tournament on a nine-match winning streak, including six wins over ranked teams. The Bruins' nine-match streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA presently, and is the 10th longest streak this season overall. The nine-tilt spree is the program's longest winning streak since the National Championship season of 2014, when the Bruins reeled off wins in the final nine matches of the year culminating in the program's second NCAA Title.
Hart's Got Heart
Nobody has been a bigger contributor to UCLA's late-season hot streak than reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Jada Hart, who has turned in two of the best weeks of her career en route to back-to-back league player of the week nominations. Over the last two weeks, she is 4-0 in both singles and doubles. Two of her match wins, against Arizona and USC, clinched 4-0 victories for the Bruins. In singles, she has won five straight matches and is undefeated in eight straight while seeing her ranking jump to a season-high No. 30. In doubles, she and partner Terri Fleming have won four straight and have become one of the most feared tandems in college tennis, rising to the No. 6-ranked pairing in the nation.
Miller's Mad March
The month of March belonged to Alaina Miller, who won all six of her singles matches and teamed with Shibahara to do the same in doubles. Miller won 72 of 86 singles games and posted four 6-0 sets over the course of the month. Dating back to Feb. 23, she is 9-0 in singles play and 11-0 in doubles action.
Altick's Arrival
Freshman Abi Altick has won 11 of her last 13 decisions in singles play, dating back to Feb. 9. She is 13-3 on the dual-match season and leads the Bruins with 27 total wins after a successful fall.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings
After last week's pair of victories over ranked teams, UCLA rose a spot for the third consecutive time in this week's ITA poll, sitting at No. 13 for the first time since Mar. 20. Four Bruins are ranked among Oracle/ITA's Top 125 singles players, announced April 24. Shibahara is tops among them, as the sophomore sits at No. 14. Hart is 30th, Altick is at No. 59, and Miller is currently ranked 117th. The doubles list features four Bruin tandems. The team of Hart and Fleming checks in at No. 6 to lead the way. Hart-Shibahara comes in at No. 25, while Andrews-Hart is No. 38 and Andrews-Broomfield is No. 56. The Bruins are the top-ranked program among Pac-12 schools, and one of two in the Top 25 (Stanford – No. 16). Oregon (No. 30), Arizona State (35), Washington (43), California (45), Washington State (48), and USC (49) are also ranked.
Doubles Domination
UCLA has thrived in doubles play in 2018, winning the doubles point 18 times in 22 dual matches. The Bruins were especially hot down the stretch, winning the doubles point in 16 of the final 17 matches of the year, including five straight to close the season. Over that 17-match stretch, UCLA's three doubles duos combined to go 33-9, including a 20-5 mark in Pac-12 play.
Individuals vs. Oregon, Utah
In conjunction with the program's overall success against Oregon and Utah, UCLA's currently-rostered players have also recorded outstanding individual numbers against the two squads. Currently active Bruins have combined to go 13-5 in singles and 6-4 in doubles against the Ducks, with a 11-2 mark in singles and 4-1 record in doubles against the Utes. Hart has UCLA's top career mark against Oregon, going 3-0 in singles without dropping a set and 1-0 in doubles. Other career marks against Oregon are as follows: Shibahara (2-0 in singles, 2-1 in doubles), Miller (3-1, 2-2), Fleming (2-1, 1-1), Wiley (2-2, 2-2), and Andrews (1-1). Fleming leads the Bruins in career numbers against Utah, going 3-0 without dropping a set in singles and a 1-0 mark in doubles. Others include Miller (2-0 in singles, 0-0 in doubles), WIley (2-1, 2-0), Shibahara (1-1, 1-0), Hart, Altick, and Broomfield (all 1-0 in singles).
Shibahara Excels on Court One
Ena Shibahara, the preseason top-ranked singles player in the country, has hit her stride on court one, losing just once in her last eight matches. UCLA is 11-1 during the dual-match season when Shibahara wins her matchup. Shibahara had a day to remember against No. 10 Pepperdine last Wednesday, helping win a tiebreaker on court three to clinch the doubles point, then pulling off a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 decision on court one in singles to cap off a come-from-behind 4-3 win for UCLA, which trailed 3-1 at one point and required set three victories on the three remaining courts in order to win.
Awards Season
UCLA is the only school to have three Pac-12 Player of the Week awards this season. Three others (Washington State, Arizona State, and California) have had two recipients. Besides Hart's honor this week, Shibahara was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of March 19-25, the conference announced March 27. Shibahara topped ranked opponent Michaela Bayerlova of Washington State, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Bruins' win over the previously-16-1 Cougars. Earlier, Hart was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 13. Bruins have accounted for 22 all-time weekly awards. Hart leads active Bruins with four career awards while Shibahara has three.
Sampras Webster Wins No. 400
The Bruins' two ITA Kick-Off wins in Kentucky represented a milestone for long-time UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster. Already the winningest coach in program history, the victories represented Nos. 399 and 400 for Sampras Webster, who now holds a record of 415-156 (.727). 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.
Fall Ball Recap
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. Bruins also swept the singles (Shibahara) and doubles (Hart-Shibahara) titles at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas.
Over 100 Gather For Reunion
More than 100 current and former UCLA women's tennis players and coaches convened March 16-18 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the program's first NCAA Championship and the life of legendary coach Bill Zaima. Included among that group were members of some of Zaima's first teams from nearly five decades ago. The group was able to see new and updated on-campus facilities, take part in a gala banquet and celebration at the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame and watch the current Bruins defeat Oregon, among other activities.
The 13th-ranked UCLA women's tennis team heads to Ventura County this week for the Pac-12 Tennis Championships, held in Ojai, Calif. from Wednesday, Apr. 25 to Saturday, Apr. 28. The Bruins enter the tournament as the #2 seed, which comes with a first round bye. UCLA's first contest in the tourney will be on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between #7 Oregon and #10 Utah. Should the Bruins advance, they would play in the semifinals on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and in the final on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The women's final will be televised on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles.
Bruins vs. Oregon, Utah
UCLA has experienced plenty of success in the past against both Oregon and Utah, the #7 and #10 seeds in the Pac-12 Tournament, respectively. The Bruins are 22-1 all-time against the Ducks, including a 20-1 mark since the turn of the milennium. UCLA has won 116 of 140 sets (83%) against Oregon, including eight sweeps. UCLA's lone loss against the Ducks came in the quarterfinals of last year's conference tournament, as fifth-seeded Oregon edged UCLA 4-3. The Bruins are an undefeated 17-0 all-time against Utah, including a 7-0 mark since the Utes joined the Pac-12 before the 2011-12 campaign. As league-mates, UCLA has won 36 of 43 sets (84%) against Utah including a trio of sweeps.
Last Week in Review
The Bruins capped off the regular season last week with a pair of wins, shaking off a 3-1 deficit to defeat No. 10 Pepperdine 4-3 on the road before sweeping No. 47 USC on Saturday, which was also the team's Senior Day. Wednesday's contest in Malibu was full of drama. First, Shibahara/Miller had to win a tiebreaker on court three to clinch the doubles point. Then, Pepperdine went on to win the first three singles points, but UCLA stormed back to win set threes on courts one, two, and six to complete the comeback.
Getting Hot at the Right Time
UCLA enters the conference championship tournament on a nine-match winning streak, including six wins over ranked teams. The Bruins' nine-match streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA presently, and is the 10th longest streak this season overall. The nine-tilt spree is the program's longest winning streak since the National Championship season of 2014, when the Bruins reeled off wins in the final nine matches of the year culminating in the program's second NCAA Title.
Hart's Got Heart
Nobody has been a bigger contributor to UCLA's late-season hot streak than reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Jada Hart, who has turned in two of the best weeks of her career en route to back-to-back league player of the week nominations. Over the last two weeks, she is 4-0 in both singles and doubles. Two of her match wins, against Arizona and USC, clinched 4-0 victories for the Bruins. In singles, she has won five straight matches and is undefeated in eight straight while seeing her ranking jump to a season-high No. 30. In doubles, she and partner Terri Fleming have won four straight and have become one of the most feared tandems in college tennis, rising to the No. 6-ranked pairing in the nation.
Miller's Mad March
The month of March belonged to Alaina Miller, who won all six of her singles matches and teamed with Shibahara to do the same in doubles. Miller won 72 of 86 singles games and posted four 6-0 sets over the course of the month. Dating back to Feb. 23, she is 9-0 in singles play and 11-0 in doubles action.
Altick's Arrival
Freshman Abi Altick has won 11 of her last 13 decisions in singles play, dating back to Feb. 9. She is 13-3 on the dual-match season and leads the Bruins with 27 total wins after a successful fall.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings
After last week's pair of victories over ranked teams, UCLA rose a spot for the third consecutive time in this week's ITA poll, sitting at No. 13 for the first time since Mar. 20. Four Bruins are ranked among Oracle/ITA's Top 125 singles players, announced April 24. Shibahara is tops among them, as the sophomore sits at No. 14. Hart is 30th, Altick is at No. 59, and Miller is currently ranked 117th. The doubles list features four Bruin tandems. The team of Hart and Fleming checks in at No. 6 to lead the way. Hart-Shibahara comes in at No. 25, while Andrews-Hart is No. 38 and Andrews-Broomfield is No. 56. The Bruins are the top-ranked program among Pac-12 schools, and one of two in the Top 25 (Stanford – No. 16). Oregon (No. 30), Arizona State (35), Washington (43), California (45), Washington State (48), and USC (49) are also ranked.
Doubles Domination
UCLA has thrived in doubles play in 2018, winning the doubles point 18 times in 22 dual matches. The Bruins were especially hot down the stretch, winning the doubles point in 16 of the final 17 matches of the year, including five straight to close the season. Over that 17-match stretch, UCLA's three doubles duos combined to go 33-9, including a 20-5 mark in Pac-12 play.
Individuals vs. Oregon, Utah
In conjunction with the program's overall success against Oregon and Utah, UCLA's currently-rostered players have also recorded outstanding individual numbers against the two squads. Currently active Bruins have combined to go 13-5 in singles and 6-4 in doubles against the Ducks, with a 11-2 mark in singles and 4-1 record in doubles against the Utes. Hart has UCLA's top career mark against Oregon, going 3-0 in singles without dropping a set and 1-0 in doubles. Other career marks against Oregon are as follows: Shibahara (2-0 in singles, 2-1 in doubles), Miller (3-1, 2-2), Fleming (2-1, 1-1), Wiley (2-2, 2-2), and Andrews (1-1). Fleming leads the Bruins in career numbers against Utah, going 3-0 without dropping a set in singles and a 1-0 mark in doubles. Others include Miller (2-0 in singles, 0-0 in doubles), WIley (2-1, 2-0), Shibahara (1-1, 1-0), Hart, Altick, and Broomfield (all 1-0 in singles).
Shibahara Excels on Court One
Ena Shibahara, the preseason top-ranked singles player in the country, has hit her stride on court one, losing just once in her last eight matches. UCLA is 11-1 during the dual-match season when Shibahara wins her matchup. Shibahara had a day to remember against No. 10 Pepperdine last Wednesday, helping win a tiebreaker on court three to clinch the doubles point, then pulling off a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 decision on court one in singles to cap off a come-from-behind 4-3 win for UCLA, which trailed 3-1 at one point and required set three victories on the three remaining courts in order to win.
Awards Season
UCLA is the only school to have three Pac-12 Player of the Week awards this season. Three others (Washington State, Arizona State, and California) have had two recipients. Besides Hart's honor this week, Shibahara was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of March 19-25, the conference announced March 27. Shibahara topped ranked opponent Michaela Bayerlova of Washington State, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Bruins' win over the previously-16-1 Cougars. Earlier, Hart was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 13. Bruins have accounted for 22 all-time weekly awards. Hart leads active Bruins with four career awards while Shibahara has three.
Sampras Webster Wins No. 400
The Bruins' two ITA Kick-Off wins in Kentucky represented a milestone for long-time UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster. Already the winningest coach in program history, the victories represented Nos. 399 and 400 for Sampras Webster, who now holds a record of 415-156 (.727). 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.
Fall Ball Recap
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. Bruins also swept the singles (Shibahara) and doubles (Hart-Shibahara) titles at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas.
Over 100 Gather For Reunion
More than 100 current and former UCLA women's tennis players and coaches convened March 16-18 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the program's first NCAA Championship and the life of legendary coach Bill Zaima. Included among that group were members of some of Zaima's first teams from nearly five decades ago. The group was able to see new and updated on-campus facilities, take part in a gala banquet and celebration at the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame and watch the current Bruins defeat Oregon, among other activities.
Players Mentioned
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