UCLA
Pepperdine
No. 8 Bruins Drop 4-3 Decision to No. 9 Waves
April 03, 2019 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 8 UCLA women's tennis team dropped a back-and-forth, 4-3 affair against No. 9 Pepperdine Wednesday afternoon at Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Vying to avenge a 4-0 road loss to the Waves on March 13, the Bruins (12-5), captured the doubles point to get off on the right foot. Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart turned in singles wins to make it 2-1 and 3-3, but the rest of the day belonged to the visitors. Dzina Milovanovic clinched the match for Pepperdine (12-3) with a three-set decision on Court 5.
UCLA's Court-2 doubles team of Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart, ranked 11th in the nation, flipped a switch after trailing 1-2 to start its match against Daria Kuczer and Ashley Lahey. The Bruins secured the next five games for a 6-2 win, their fourth in a row. During that stretch, Bolton-Hart has not relinquished more than two games in a match.
With the top-25 combinations of No. 7 Gabby Andrews-Ayan Broomfield and No. 24 Jessica Failla-Anastasia Iamachkine locked in a tight one up top, UCLA's Court 3 team of 49th-ranked Abi Altick and Alaina Miller seized the day's first point. Playing against Adrijana Lekaj and Dzina Milovanovic, the Bruins fought back from an early break of serve that had them down 0-2 and 1-3. Taking five of the next six games and a deciding deuce point to clinch it, Altick-Miller improved to 9-3 on the season.
Pepperdine quickly knotted things up in singles play, as Iamachkine registered a 6-0, 6-0 win against Taylor Johnson on Court 6. No. 21 Bolton avenged her March loss to No. 88 Lekaj on Court 2, where she posted a 6-4, 6-2 result to put the lead back in the hands of the Bruins. The Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. native dropped two of the match's first three games, but rolled the rest of the way. The freshman has now won a team-high 20 matches.
Bolton puts the Bruins up 2??-1?? after a 6-4, 6-2 victory pic.twitter.com/qvE1D2vef5
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) April 3, 2019
The back-and-forth afternoon continued on Court 4, where Kuczer tied the score with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Miller. The Waves would then take their first lead of the day with an identical score on Court 3. No. 81 Jessica Failla held off Ayan Broomfield in that one.
The match would fittingly go the distance, as No. 41 Hart defeated No. 45 Lahey in the day's marquee contest. Lahey, who took the season's first meeting between the players, doubled up Hart in the first set to take a step toward another victory. Hart answered in a major way, however, at one point taking eight of 10 games for a 2-1 third-set advantage. She would go on to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, her ninth in 10 tries and sixth over a top-50 opponent during that time.
Like Hart, No. 98 Altick answered a 3-6 first set with a resounding win in the second. Tied at three games apiece with Milovanovic in the third, the match would begin slipping away. The Pepperdine player went on to take the final three games behind two breaks for the win.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Bruins, who get back into Pac-12 play at home Friday against No. 39 Utah. First serve is set for 12 p.m. They will then conclude their home schedule Saturday, when they host Colorado at noon on Senior Day.
Tennis Match Results
Pepperdine vs UCLA
4/3/2019 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#9 Pepperdine 4, #8 UCLA 3
Singles competition
1. #41 Jada Hart (UCLA) def. #45 Ashley Lahey (PEPP) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. #21 Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. #88 Adrijana Lekaj (PEPP) 6-4, 6-2
3. #81 Jessica Failla (PEPP) def. Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) 6-4, 6-3
4. Daria Kuczer (PEPP) def. Alaina Miller (UCLA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) def. #98 Abi Altick (UCLA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
6. Anastasia Iamachkine (PEPP) def. Taylor Johnson (UCLA) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #7 Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) vs. #24 Jessica Failla/Anastasia Iamachkine (PEPP) 4-4, unfinished
2. #11 Elysia Bolton/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Daria Kuczer/Ashley Lahey (PEPP) 6-2
3. #49 Abi Altick/Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. Adrijana Lekaj/Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) 6-4
Match Notes:
Pepperdine 12-3; National ranking #9
UCLA 12-5; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,2,4,3,1,5)
T-3:10
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,2,4,3,1,5
Players Mentioned
