UCLA women’s tennis drops NCAA championship match to Vanderbilt
The UCLA women’s tennis fell in a closely contested championship matchup against Vanderbilt. With the loss, the Bruins failed to defend the national title that they secured last year. (Courtesy of Jose Yau)
By TuAnh Dam
May 20, 2015 1:55 a.m.
An improbable comeback fell inches short.
Playing in its second championship match in two years, No. 7-seeded UCLA (23-5) played the underdog role against No. 4-seeded Vanderbilt (25-6). The Bruins mounted a resurgence against the Commodores after falling behind 3-1 early on in the match, but the hole proved too much and the team fell 4-2 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, to give Vanderbilt its first women’s tennis NCAA title.
In doubles, the Commodores set the tone early, cracking shots and limiting unforced errors on all three courts.
Juniors Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips kept UCLA’s hopes alive with an 8-5 win, sending all eyes to the third and final match.
Freshman Maia Magill and senior Chanelle Van Nguyen started sluggishly, dropping the first five games. The duo pulled itself back to within 5-7, but were unable to close the gap, giving the Commodores the doubles point with an 8-5 loss.
“We needed every single point today,” McPhillips said. “Against a deep team – a better team – that came out firing, we just couldn’t afford to do that.”
Needing four singles points to repeat as champions, the Bruins started tentatively.
Senior Kaitlin Ray was unable to fend off her opponent’s barrage of shots and quickly lost her first set 6-1. Down an early break, Ray battled back and brought her match to a tiebreak, but was unable to sustain her level of play, and Vanderbilt grabbed the second point of the day behind a 6-1, 7-6 win.
No. 1-ranked senior Robin Anderson controlled her match, running No. 8-ranked Sydney Campbell from sideline to sideline. The senior captain capped off her last dual match with a 6-4, 6-1 victory to draw her team to within one.
“I knew we were a team that could come back,” Anderson said. “Everyone was going to stay out there fighting, because Vanderbilt wasn’t going to get tight.”
Ahead a set and 5-2 in her match, sophomore Jennifer Brady was nearly derailed by a
On court two, Van Nguyen started off singles on a tear, winning four of the first five games to take the first set 6-3. Extended rallies and an opponent playing with confidence tripped up the Bruin, as she lost the second set 6-2, bringing up a deciding third set.
After the Commodores took the first set on court five, McPhillips, the hero in last year’s championship match, pushed her match into a crucial tiebreak. Scrambling, the junior won the clutch points to take the set 7-6, keeping UCLA’s repeat hopes alive.
Neither Van Nguyen nor her opponent could wrestle control of their court. Cramps and fatigue began to set in for both players as the match continued. Down 4-5, Van Nguyen squandered game points and saved championship points behind deep shots and sharp angles.
An unforced error off a heated Vanderbilt forehand in her final match gave the Commodores the 4-2 win, and the Bruin senior crumpled to the courts sobbing.
“We wanted this, probably more than last year, to send our seniors out the way they deserved,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “But against a team that beat Florida and USC like they did, we just came up short.”
UCLA begins individual play Wednesday with Anderson, Brady, Van Nguyen, McPhillips and Harrison all competing in the singles tournament. Brady and Anderson as well as Harrison and McPhillips are set to participate in the doubles tournament.
