UCLA reverses roles against Florida, advances to title match

Robin Anderson stood opposite her Florida Gator opponent, a point away from securing a straight-set victory.

The junior had been through all of the close calls the UCLA women’s tennis team has had in the past few years, most recently a bitter 4-3 defeat at the hands of Texas A&M; in last year’s semifinal that ultimately kept the team out of the national championship game.

But what sat most relevant in her mind was Florida, which two years prior, dismantled UCLA’s national championship try in a 4-0 sweep, leaving the Bruins and Anderson empty-handed.

Those late-tournament losses of the Bruins’ past wouldn’t spoil another season of tennis for UCLA. Not this day.

“The most satisfying part of this whole week, so far, was beating Florida the same way they beat us a while ago,” Anderson said.

And satisfying it was. The Bruins walked straight through the No. 8 seed Gators with a 4-0 victory, reversing the result of the two schools’ last meeting.

“Florida is a very strong team and they know us well,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “Our team stayed really relaxed and composed. We had to work really hard to win those matches and they made us earn every point.”

The doubles matches nearly slipped away from UCLA, with a resilient response from the Bruins securing the point in tiebreaker sets for the team’s top two pairings.

Sensing the championship game in their grasps, singles play for the Bruins was led by Anderson and freshman Jennifer Brady who each finished off straight-set victories.

“I think that in singles I was just being really solid from the baseline, not giving her too many errors today, but I thought my returning was really spot on and that did it for me,” Anderson said.

With the win over Florida, UCLA moves on to its second championship game appearance in the past three seasons, where the Bruins will face No. 7 seed North Carolina.

The Tar Heels, ranked No. 11 in the nation, are riding a difficult road to the championship, having beaten powerhouses Alabama and Stanford to reach a matchup with UCLA.

With a win Tuesday, the women will hoist the tennis program’s second national title and claim NCAA championship number 111 for UCLA as a whole.

In the hours leading up to the game, the Bruins remain dedicated to keeping this potential special moment purely about the tennis at hand.

“They just need to enjoy it and not get too caught up in the potential of the moment,” Sampras Webster said. “If they just go out and play tennis, not let anything distract them, not get excited and just relax, they can do what they know how to, just play tennis.”

The chance to win a national title, however, is just too much to completely overlook.

“To win would mean the world,” said sophomore Kyle McPhillips. “The highest honor I could possibly achieve in my life, both individually and team wise, it would simply be unreal.”