UCLA women’s tennis comes back with Pepperdine shutout
Junior Chanelle Van Nguyen won her doubles match against Pepperdine, citing recent drills that helped her with rhythm as contributing to the win. (Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
By Alexis Williams
Feb. 20, 2014 1:24 a.m.
The sun was shining on Straus Stadium. There was a gentle breeze, fresh tennis balls, abundant cheering and free pizza. It was the perfect day for a comeback.
And the UCLA women’s tennis team certainly took advantage as it breathed in its first breath of fresh air on the court since the 2014 National Women’s Team Indoor Championships. In a complete shutout, the Bruins defeated the No. 26 Pepperdine Waves with a final score of 7-0, maintaining their spot at No. 2.
The Bruins swept the Waves away throughout the doubles matches, one played by junior Robin Anderson and freshman Jennifer Brady, and the other played by sophomores Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips. Two of the three matches ended in shutouts with scores of 8-0.
“I did drills with my coach to get my rhythm back because I felt like recently my timing and balance have been off, so doing those drills helped me a lot, and I think it showed during the match. I felt better,” said junior Chanelle Van Nguyen, who won her doubles match with junior Kaitlin Ray with a final score of 5-4.
This rhythm ensured that UCLA played steadily against unpredictable competition.
“Whenever we play Pepperdine, it’s always tough and kind of unpredictable. I was really impressed with how our doubles are coming along. It’s nice to see us really dominate,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “I’ve seen an improvement in our team, so that’s really exciting to see that.”
The afternoon wasn’t all calm waters though, as Brady found at the end of her first singles set. After losing her first set 1-6, Brady made sure to keep the score closer in the second set.
“I put (the first set) behind me and just really focused on starting well in the second set,” Brady said.
In the second set, Brady finally pulled ahead after a long tie at 2-2 and led the remaining entirety of the set to claim a 6-3 victory. She began her third set strong, but faced several ties, managing to break the tie and end victorious with a final score of 7-6 as players from both teams stood on a neighboring court to watch and cheer on the final match of the day.
“I think I played pretty solid,” Brady said. “I just really did what I needed to do to win.”
With every match of the day won, the Bruins successfully made their comeback and are now ready to face Cal, ranked closely behind the Bruins at No. 4, in a televised match on Friday at Straus Stadium.
