University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bruin Netters Seek Individual Titles in Ojai This Week
WOMEN
Unlike the Pac-12 Men's Tournament which features a team format, the Bruin women will be competing as individuals in Ojai this week. The Bruins will have seven players competing for titles this week beginning on Thursday. Jennifer Brady is the defending Pac-12 singles champion, however she is unseeded in this year's event after begin injured for much of the season. She opens up the tournament against Washington State's Donika Bashota on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Seeded No. 2, Chanelle Van Nguyen is the highest seeded UCLA player in the draw. She is scheduled to meet ASU's Stephanie Vlad at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday. The only other Bruin competing in the main draw is Catherine Harrison, who will take on Oregon's Alyssa Tobita at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. Kaitlin Ray, Terri Fleming and Kristin Wiley will all be competing in the Pac-12 Invitational singles draw, which also begins on Thursday. In doubles, Van Nguyen and Wiley are in the main draw, and Fleming and Maia Magill will represent UCLA in the Invitational. The women will be competing at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club on Thursday and Friday before moving over to Libbey Park on the weekend. The Pac-12 Networks will air the singles final live at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday and the doubles final at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday (delayed).
The Bruin women recently wrapped up their regular season with an 18-4 overall record and an 8-2 mark in Pac-12 play. UCLA finished third in this year's race for the Pac-12 title behind 10-0 USC and 9-1 Cal. The Bruins had a chance to finish in a tie for first place in the standings with USC and Cal, however ended up falling 4-3 at USC in the regular-season finale for both teams on April 16.
UCLA fell just one spot from No. 5 to No. 6 in this week's ITA team rankings. Robin Anderson, who has elected not to compete in Ojai this week, continues her reign atop the national singles rankings, checking in at No. 1 for fourth week in a row. She is joined in the ITA top 125 by No. 18 Chanelle Van Nguyen, No. 32 Kyle McPhillips, No. 51 Jennifer Brady, No. 67 Catherine Harrison and No. 96 Kaitlin Ray. In doubles, UCLA is the only school in the nation with two teams ranked in the top 10 with Harrison and McPhillips checking in at No. 3 and Anderson and Brady coming in at No. 9.
ITA Rankings (4/21): Team | Singles | Doubles
The NCAA draw for the women's tournament will be released on Tuesday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m. (PST) on NCAA.com. Fans and media can access the broadcast by clicking HERE. The Bruin women are almost sure to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and that will also be announced on April 28. If the Bruins do host, those matches will take place on May 9 and 10.
MEN
The No. 15 UCLA men's tennis team (14-8) begins the postseason this week, as the Bruins head to Ojai, Calif. to take part in the Pac-12 Championships, which run from April 22-25 at Libbey Park. The third-seeded Bruins have a first-round bye and open up play on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. against either Washington or Utah. The Huskies and Utes will meet in the first round on Wednesday afternoon. If UCLA wins on Thursday, the Bruins will earn a place in the semifinals where they will take on second-seed USC on Friday at 3:00 p.m. It would mark the third meeting between the two teams this season, as the Trojans won both prior contests. More information about this year's Pac-12 Championships can be found www.ojaitourney.org. To go directly to the men's draw, click HERE.
The two-time defending Pac-12 Tournament champion Bruins have made the Pac-12 final every year since the men went to a team format in 2012. UCLA's 4-2 win over the top-seeded Trojans in last year's final marked UCLA's second tournament championship in a row, as the Bruins also won the event in 2013. USC won the first Pac-12 Tournament title in 2012. This year is the first year that it will not be a UCLA-USC final, as the teams could meet in the semifinals.
Despite its loss to USC in last Thursday's crosstown showdown, the Bruins moved up four places from No. 19 to No. 15 in this week's national rankings. Individually, Mackenzie McDonald ranks No. 3 nationally in singles, trailing only Baylor's Julian Lenz and Oklahoma's Axel Alvarez Llamas. McDonald is joined in the singles rankings by No. 36 Dennis Mkrtchian and No. 107 Martin Redlicki. In doubles, McDonald and Redlicki check in at No. 9.
ITA Rankings (4/21): Team | Singles | Doubles
The 2015 NCAA Tournament draw will be released on Tuesday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. (PST) on NCAA.com. Fans and media can access the broadcast by clicking HERE. There is a chance that the UCLA men will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and that will also be announced on April 28. If the Bruins do host, those matches will take place on May 8 and 9.