No. 1 UCLA women’s tennis snatches singles titles at different tournaments
Junior Kyle McPhillips took home the singles title at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in La Quinta this weekend. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Will Tamposi
Jan. 20, 2015 12:33 p.m.
The UCLA women’s tennis team sent players to different venues this weekend to play in preparatory tournaments for the upcoming season, and produced strong showings at both competitions.
Sophomore Jennifer Brady championed the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., ultimately defeating Giuliana Olmos of USC in a close final match winning 7-6, 0-6, 7-5. The second set loss in the final was the only dropped set that Brady had in the entire tournament.
While Brady was on her way to the championship in Las Vegas, junior Kyle McPhillips made some noise of her own in the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in La Quinta.
McPhillips played consistently well throughout the competition, but found herself in unfamiliar territory after giving up the first set 6-3 in her final match against Pepperdine’s Lorraine Guillermo. But a resilient McPhillips was able to keep herself in the match after winning a close second set 7-5 and subsequent third set 6-3 to claim the title.
The Bruins who competed in the singles draws had an overall strong showing, but those who played doubles were not able to contend for the titles in their draws. In La Quinta, the junior tandem of Catherine Harrison and McPhillips – the No. 1 ranked doubles pair in the nation – were defeated by Trojans Gabriella DeSimone and Zoe Katz in the quarterfinals.
Before the tournament in Vegas, coach Stella Sampras Webster said that she looked forward to see how the freshman pair Terri Fleming and Kristin Wiley would play, as they have not had much tournament experience together at this point in their UCLA careers. But the young duo were outplayed by their first-round opponents Joanna Henderson and Caitlyn Williams of Tennessee, and were defeated handedly 6-2.
In the pre-season tournaments, which the Bruins chiefly wanted to compete in for experience, the team had mixed results at the two different tournaments. But with strong showings in both tournaments against tough competitors from around the nation, the women’s tennis team proved their worthiness of their preseason No. 1 ranking.
Compiled by Will Tamposi, Bruin Sports contributor.
