UCLA women’s tennis hopes to bring fight, perseverance against Baylor
Freshman Terri Fleming and the Bruins face another tough challenge against No. 4 Baylor just days after a five-hour marathon win over No. 3 USC. (Max Himmelrich/Daily Bruin)
By TuAnh Dam
March 6, 2015 1:08 a.m.
The road doesn’t get much easier for UCLA women’s tennis.
After closing out No. 3 USC 4-3 in a five-hour match Wednesday, No. 12 UCLA will take a three-hour plane trip to Waco, Texas, to face another powerhouse in No. 4 Baylor (12-2).
Baylor, coming off six days of rest since sweeping No. 19 Ohio State, enters the matchup fresh. The Bears have gone undefeated at home this year, including two victories over top-10 squads in Georgia and Virginia.
The Bruins enter Saturday’s match on the heels of Wednesday’s marathon match against the Trojans, which included several tiebreaks and a slew of cramps for UCLA.
The Bruins said they prize the fight and perseverance they showed over any victory against their crosstown rival.
With junior Catherine Harrison and senior Chanelle Van Nguyen falling to the ground with cramps, the Bruins nearly squandered a 3-1 lead. Pushed by teammates, coaches and cheering fans, Van Nguyen triumphed and sealed the match-point victory after numerous medical time outs, delay-of-game penalties and cries of pain.
“With teammates, it’s so easy to want to fight and give your all,” said freshman Terri Fleming. “Playing for other people, we want to work through it and try to win.”
Nearly every UCLA player has fallen victim to an injury at some point this year, but the team still takes every opportunity to test themselves against the top teams in the nation, such as Baylor. These experiences, the Bruins said, have made them hungrier, tougher and more dangerous.
“Every match is an opportunity for players to battle and perform and test themselves,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “We expect players to give 100 percent, no matter where they’re at.”
With previously-injured senior Robin Anderson regaining her form and sophomore Jennifer Brady slowly returning to practice, UCLA brings back integral players and leaders from last year’s national-championship team. However, the rest of the team is aware of the pressure and intensity every opponent will bring against them.
“There’s that pressure because we’re the same team from last year,” Van Nguyen said. “Other teams will try to beat us even more.”
Preparing for drawn-out games and back-and-forth rallies, UCLA said it knows its match against Baylor will give it a taste of what to expect when May rolls around, and another national title opportunity presents itself.
