Senior women’s tennis player falls in tournament finals
Senior Catherine Harrison battled it out at the Indian Wells National Collegiate Tennis Classic this weekend, making a run to the championship match after her training schedule was thrown off by inclement weather. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Ishan Ayyalasomayajula
Jan. 19, 2016 12:36 a.m.
Preparation was tough last week. The rain had ruined much of senior Catherine Harrison’s training schedule and with indoor courts an hour or so away, practice was restricted to mostly conditioning.
So when Harrison traveled to Indian Wells, California, for the weekend for the National Collegiate Tennis Classic, it was not completely surprising to see the nation’s No. 18 singles player struggle in the first round.
Ebony Panoho of Arizona State battled with Harrison, pushing the match to three sets. Harrison said that she was able to calm her nerves during play, eventually winning, 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4.
In the second round, Harrison improved her play, ousting Arizona’s Shayne Austin in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Then, in the semifinals, she outplayed No. 39 Caroline Doyle of Stanford as she won 6-2, 6-3.
“I felt (that) I served really well and that my backing (up of my serves) was on, this tournament,” Harrison said.
Her run came to end in the championship match against No. 75 Desirae Krawczyk of Arizona State, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, and even though she did not take home the title, she said she was very proud of finals performance, especially her second set play.
“I was down 4-0 in the second set and came back to win the set,” Harrison said. “It was the biggest comeback in my tennis career.”
While Harrison was in Indian Wells, just a couple hours away in Las Vegas, teammates Kristen Wiley and Alaina Miller had small successes of their own in doubles. The sophomore and freshman pair competed in the Freeman Memorial Women’s Tennis Championships, reaching the quarterfinals of the draw.
Though it was their first time playing together in a tournament, the pair said they worked well with each other as they defeated Paola Artiga and Mercedes Lopez of UNLV 6-4.
The duo fell to the nation’s No. 4 doubles pair, Giuliana Olmos and Gabby Smith of USC.
UCLA women’s tennis next plays this coming weekend against UC Irvine at home.
Compiled by Ishan Ayyalasomayajula, Bruin Sports contributor.
