W. Tennis: Team shows off skills in powerful win

In an effort to redeem itself after last week’s loss to
USC, the UCLA women’s tennis team headed to the USTA/ITA
National Indoors in Wisconsin to dominate. And dominate they did,
winning 5-2 against No. 10 North Carolina on Thursday
afternoon.

“I knew that we were more talented, and we just had to
prove that,” coach Stella Sampras Webster said.

By excelling in both singles and doubles, the team proved its
point and beat the Tar Heels, the No. 8 seed in the tournament.

“(UNC is) a young team. It helps that we had a lot of
second-years,” Sampras Webster said.

Jackie Carleton was one of the sophomores who aided in the Bruin
victory. Carlton, who played at the No. 1 singles position, fought
off several set points to win the match in the third set.

Freshmen Daniela Bercek and Alex McGoodwin both dominated their
singles matches as well by capturing wins in two sets.

Although both the singles and doubles excelled, Sampras Webster
still seeks improvement. She especially sees potential in the
doubles teams.

Sampras Webster hopes to see this improvement in today’s
second-round match against Stanford. The Cardinal, ranked No. 2 in
the nation, pose a serious competition for the Bruins.

Nevertheless, the Bruins are up for the challenge. With the USC
and North Carolina matches behind it, UCLA knows what it takes to
play against high caliber teams.

“We came together and bounced back from the USC game. Now
we are ready and really want to win,” team captain Lauren
Fisher said.

Although the Bruins know they are entering today’s match
as the underdogs, they still are excited. They are ready to play
the same game they bring to the court during every match.

“Anything can happen on any given day in tennis,”
Carleton said, “and we just want to show the No. 2 team in
the country that we are definitely up for the match.”

North Carolina will play the No. 16 seed William & Mary in
the consolation bracket. UCLA will play Saturday regardless of how
it does on Friday. The team will only play in Sunday’s final
if it wins both Friday and Saturday.