ROSEMONT, Ill. – UCLA's Kate Fakih was named Big Ten Conference Women's Tennis Freshman of the Week following a standout performance at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Urbana, Ill., it was announced Wednesday.
Fakih has now won two such awards and four weekly honors overall from the Big Ten. The latest came on the heels of her first ITA Indoors appearance, which featured two singles wins and a pair of doubles victories alongside fellow freshman Olivia Center.
Fakih's initial singles triumph of the trip came over No. 115 Anita Sahdieeva of LSU, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 on Court 4, cutting the Bruins' deficit to 3-2 (Feb. 8). The ranked singles win represented Fakih's seventh of the season. A dominant display by Fakih followed the next day, as the Pasadena, Calif. native downed Kida Ferrari of Illinois 6-0, 6-3 to help UCLA post a 4-1 win against the tournament host.
Fakih/Center notched its 12th ranked victory of the campaign, beating No. 58 Julia Garcia Ruiz/Chloé Noël of Oklahoma 6-2 on Court 2 to help the Bruins secure the doubles point. The all-freshman UCLA tandem then bounced back from a loss to take down McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber of the Fighting Illini 6-2, again helping the Bruins establish the day's first lead.
Fakih was previously voted Freshman of the Week on Jan. 29. She was twice tabbed Player of the Week during the fall, most recently on Oct. 23, 2024. UCLA has earned six total weekly awards from the Big Ten, as Elise Wagle (Feb. 5) and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (Nov. 13, 2024) have collected Player of the Week accolades.
2024-25 BIG TEN WOMEN'S TENNIS FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
Fakih has now won two such awards and four weekly honors overall from the Big Ten. The latest came on the heels of her first ITA Indoors appearance, which featured two singles wins and a pair of doubles victories alongside fellow freshman Olivia Center.
Fakih's initial singles triumph of the trip came over No. 115 Anita Sahdieeva of LSU, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 on Court 4, cutting the Bruins' deficit to 3-2 (Feb. 8). The ranked singles win represented Fakih's seventh of the season. A dominant display by Fakih followed the next day, as the Pasadena, Calif. native downed Kida Ferrari of Illinois 6-0, 6-3 to help UCLA post a 4-1 win against the tournament host.
Fakih/Center notched its 12th ranked victory of the campaign, beating No. 58 Julia Garcia Ruiz/Chloé Noël of Oklahoma 6-2 on Court 2 to help the Bruins secure the doubles point. The all-freshman UCLA tandem then bounced back from a loss to take down McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber of the Fighting Illini 6-2, again helping the Bruins establish the day's first lead.
Fakih was previously voted Freshman of the Week on Jan. 29. She was twice tabbed Player of the Week during the fall, most recently on Oct. 23, 2024. UCLA has earned six total weekly awards from the Big Ten, as Elise Wagle (Feb. 5) and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (Nov. 13, 2024) have collected Player of the Week accolades.
2024-25 BIG TEN WOMEN'S TENNIS FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
| Week | Player |
| Jan. 15 | Emily Sartz-Lunde, Michigan |
| Jan. 22 | Patsy Daughters, Oregon |
| Jan. 29 | Kate Fakih, UCLA |
| Feb. 5 | Jessica Bernales, Michigan |
| Feb. 12 | Kate Fakih, UCLA |