University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Women's Tennis Heads to Waco for NCAA Round of 16
Seventh-Seeded Bruins to Face No. 10 Texas A&M in NCAA Round of 16
The defending NCAA Champion UCLA women’s tennis team (20-4) advanced through NCAA Regional play last weekend and now heads to Waco, Texas this week for the NCAA Championships hosted by Baylor University. The seventh-seeded Bruins open up play on Friday, taking on 10th-seeded Texas A&M (17-5) at 9:00 a.m. (CST) at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center. The winner of that match advances to the quarterfinals to meet the winner of second-seeded North Carolina and 15th-seeded Miami. That match is scheduled for Sunday at Noon (CST).
NCAA Championship Draw | NCAA Tournament Central
UCLA vs. Texas A&M
UCLA and Texas A&M have only met twice in women’s tennis and the series is currently tied at 1-1 heading into Friday’s NCAA Round of 16. The Bruins won the first meeting, a 4-3 win at the ITA National Team Indoors in 2005. The Aggies, however, have won the only NCAA Tournament meeting between the two schools, downing UCLA 4-3 in the 2013 semifinals in Champaign, Ill.
UCLA at the NCAA Championships
Only three teams (UCLA, Stanford and Cal) have made the NCAA Tournament every year since women’s tennis became an NCAA sport in 1982. The Bruins’ selection to the 2015 tournament marks the team’s 34th appearance and the team owns an all-time tournament record of 83-31 (heading into the round of 16). UCLA has won three national championships, winning titles in 1981 (AIAW), 2008 and 2014.
Bruins Cruise Through Regional Play
UCLA did not surrender a single point in NCAA Regional action at the Los Angeles Tennis Center last weekend. The Bruins opened up the event with a 4-0 victory over Idaho in the first round and then went on to beat No. 26 Northwestern, 4-0 in the second round.
NCAA Individual Championships
Following the team competition, which concludes on May 19, several Bruin players will stay in Waco to take part in the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships from May 20-25. With five players selected to compete in the 64-player singles draw, UCLA has more entrants than any other school in the country. Senior Robin Anderson is the No. 1 seed and looking to cap off her Bruin career by becoming the first UCLA player to win a singles title since Keri Phebus in 1995. Joining Anderson in the draw are Chanelle Van Nguyen, Jennifer Brady, Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips. UCLA also has two teams competing in the 32-team doubles draw. Harrison and McPhillips are seeded No. 3 and will be joined in the draw by the duo of Anderson and Brady. The last Bruin team to win an NCAA Doubles titles was the duo of Tracy Lin and Riza Zalameda in 2008.
Harrison Extends Streak to 18
With a pair of victories during NCAA Regional play last week, junior Catherine Harrison extended her singles winning streak to 18. Harrison, from Germantown, Tenn., has not lost a singles match since falling to USC’s Madison Westby on March 4. Three weeks ago she became the eighth player in school history to win the Pac-12 Singles Championship, downing Cal’s Klara Fabikova, 6-4, 6-0 in the final. It marked UCLA’s third-straight singles title in Ojai, following wins by Kyle McPhillips in 2013 and Jennifer Brady in 2014. Harrison leads the team in singles victories with 26.
Senior Salute
Seniors Robin Anderson, Chanelle Van Nguyen and Kaitlin Ray make up one of the most successful senior classes in school history, as the Bruin trio owns a remarkable four-year record of 93-15. UCLA has never finished out of the top 3 at the NCAA Championships during their careers. The Bruins made the NCAA Final during their freshman season of 2012 and then reached the semifinals in 2013. They went on to win the NCAA title as juniors last season.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings
UCLA is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation in the ITA team rankings (May 1). Individually, Robin Anderson checks in at No. 1 in the country. She is joined in the top 25 by No. 21 Chanelle Van Nguyen. Other ranked singles players include: No. 33 Catherine Harrison, No. 35 Kyle McPhillips, No. 47 Jennifer Brady and No. 109 Kaitlin Ray. In doubles, Harrison and McPhillips are ranked No. 3, followed by Anderson and Brady at No. 9. UCLA, Cal and Stanford are the only three schools in the country with two doubles teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.
ITA Rankings (May 1): Team | Singles | Doubles
Anderson Named ITA Southwest Region Senior Player of the Year
Senior Robin Anderson can add another award to her already long list of accomplishments, as she was named ITA Southwest Region Player of the Year on May 12. Anderson, the No. 1 player in the nation in singles, has lost just two matches this season and takes a 21-2 overall record into this week’s round of 16. By winning the regional award, Anderson, the 2015 Pac-12 Player of the Year, is now in contention for the ITA National Senior Player of the Year award, which will be announced during the NCAA Championships. UCLA’s two previous winners of that award are Keri Phebus (1996) and Riza Zalameda (2008).
Recruiting Reach
California annually produces some of the best tennis talent in the nation, yet not one player in UCLA’s top 8 hails from the Golden State. The six states represented by UCLA’s top 8 players are: Florida (Brady, Van Nguyen & Wiley), Ohio (McPhillips), Tennessee (Harrison), Georgia (Fleming), Arkansas (Ray) and New Jersey (Anderson).
Brady is Back
One of the biggest story lines for UCLA this year has been the absence of sophomore All-American Jennifer Brady, who had been sidelined for much of the season due to injury. Brady, who played during ITA Kick-Off Weekend in January before being shut down, made a return to the lineup against Washington on March 27. Prior to that contest, Brady missed two months due to a stress fracture in her foot. All but one of UCLA’s four losses on the season occurred without Brady in the lineup.
Brady’s Professional Success
After helping UCLA win the NCAA title as a freshman last May, Jennifer Brady devoted her summer and fall to playing professional tennis on the women’s pro circuit. She turned in some excellent results too, so much so that she is currently ranked No. 209 in the WTA Tour singles rankings (25th highest-ranked American). Her best result on the tour came at a 25K in Redding, Calif., where she took home titles in both singles and doubles (w/Lauren Embree).
Anderson is All-Time Wins Leader at No. 1
No player in UCLA history has won more singles matches at the No. 1 position than Robin Anderson. The senior from Matawan, N.J. has won a total of 70 matches at the top spot, 19 more than UCLA great Keri Phebus, who amassed 51 wins at the No. 1 position from 1993-96. Anderson is about to wrap up a legendary collegiate career and has the chance to become just the seventh player in school history to earn All-America honors every year of her career. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player at last year’s NCAA Championships and won the 2014 Honda Award, a yearly honor given to the top player in collegiate tennis.
UCLA’s 112 NCAA Championships
UCLA leads the nation in NCAA Championships with 112. The Bruins’ last title came in December when the men’s water polo team posted a thrilling 9-8 win over USC in the title match. Stanford, which actually defeated UCLA, 7-6 in the final of women’s water polo on Sunday, ranks No. 2 in the country in NCAA titles with 106.