UCLA women’s tennis beats Baylor to emerge as No. 1

On a calm, Monday evening
at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, a single, loud roar emanated
from the basin of Straus Stadium and into the clear sky above.

The noise came from freshman Jennifer Brady, who was able to sustain a long enough rally to watch her opponent’s shot sail into the net and make her team the best in the country.

With all eyes fixed on Brady, she had just managed to down her Baylor opponent in straight sets to hand UCLA its fourth straight victory.

“It’s pretty tough knowing all the pressure’s on you, and there’s always that added stress that your teammates could lose and it’s all up to you to win the match,” Brady said.

With Brady’s clinching point, UCLA (12-1) notched one of its more impressive wins of the season, knocking off yet another top-ranked team in No. 17 Baylor (10-4) and catapulting itself to the No. 1 ranking in the country.

“I knew they were going to challenge us, so it was a good experience for our players to play against a team that doesn’t always give us what we want,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “it was good to know our players can handle anything another player gives to them.”

Early on, the Bruins were able to continue to flex their consistent dominance in doubles play, quickly earning the lone doubles point for their 13th straight match. Singles play, however, would become a bit more turbulent.

The strength of Baylor’s players, coupled with an unfamiliar set of playing styles, accounted for a more difficult test than usual for the Bruins.

“(Brady’s) opponent was once a top-10 singles player in the country. Knowing the second set wouldn’t be easy, she got up big, fell back but was able to close it out,” Sampras Webster said.

Brady wasn’t alone in facing up-and-down matches, as sophomore Catherine Harrison and junior Kaitlin Ray both entered third sets only to leave their matches unfinished.

Junior Robin Anderson, however, did not seem to encounter any problems at all in her singles match. Anderson said she was able to play well by improving her serving and dictating her shots, as she beat No. 38 ranked Kiah Generette in straight sets.

Now, UCLA turns its sights on a weekend Pac-12 road trip that pits them against Utah (9-2) on Friday followed by a quick turnaround against Colorado (7-6) on Sunday.