W. tennis: UCLA beats Miami with No. 4 singles win

The women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to
four matches after a 4-3 victory over Miami on Wednesday. This win
improves the No. 12 Bruins to 10-5 overall, while the No. 16
Hurricanes fell to 9-2. “We had to work for that win,”
coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “But the team played well
and really fought hard and competed well.” The Bruins opened
the match by capturing the doubles point with victories from the
No. 2 and No. 3 teams. The Hurricanes and Bruins each took three of
the singles matches. The match was tied 3-3 and came down to No. 4
singles when junior Sarah Gregg finished with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win
over Miami’s Staci Stevens. “I didn’t know for
sure that it was the last match,” Gregg said. “I
didn’t let it get to me that much.” “She handled
the pressure and everything really well,” Sampras Webster
said of Gregg’s match. “She stayed very
composed.” UCLA junior Lauren Fisher was the first Bruin off
the court, losing to Audrey Banada 2-6, 1-6 on the No. 5 court.
Sophomores Jackie Carleton and Feriel Esseghir took both of their
matches to three sets. Carleton fell to Megan Bradley 6-3, 1-6,
1-6, while Esseghir fought until she lost 1-6, 6-2, 3-6 to Melissa
Applebaum. Sophomore Laura Gordon defeated Sihem Bennacer 6-3, 6-3
on the No. 6 court. Freshman Daniela Bercek then took a crucial
6-3, 6-4 victory over Mari Toro. “She fought hard today and
pulled it out,” Sampras Webster said of Bercek’s win.
“She figured out a way to win.”

INJURY UPDATE: When freshman Alex McGoodwin
recovers from a pulled stomach muscle, Gordon, one of the few
Bruins with a decisive singles win against Miami, may lose her
starting position. Due to injured starters throughout the season,
Gordon has played at all positions in the bottom half of the
lineup. She is 8-6 in dual matches this year and went 11-15 last
season. “If everyone’s healthy, I don’t
know,” said Gordon. “It’s Coach’s
decision.”

SPRING BREAK PLANS: The UCLA women’s
tennis team will take a few days off for finals and spring break
before starting practice again on Thursday. “We haven’t
had much of a break yet,” Sampras Webster said.
“We’re going to put a lot of time on the court and work
individually.” The Bruins travel to Cal to face the Bears on
April 2.

With reports from Andrew Finley, Bruin sports
reporter.