Women’s tennis’ sweep of LSU showcases high energy, sets mood for next round
Redshirt junior Jada Hart defeated LSU’s Eden Richardson 6-4, 6-3 in No. 1 singles. Hart joined freshman Elysia Bolton in doubles and claimed a doubles win over LSU’s Paris Corley and Anna Loughlan. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)
Women's tennis
| LSU | 0 |
| UCLA | 4 |
By Andreas Papoutsis
May 5, 2019 7:41 p.m.
The Bruins notched two sweeps to advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
No. 7 seed UCLA women’s tennis (20-7, 8-2 Pac-12) recorded a 4-0 sweep over LSU (17-12, 5-8 SEC) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Sunday. After losing to Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship final, the Bruins have since put together back-to-back sweeps to open up their NCAA Tournament campaign.
Freshman Elysia Bolton and redshirt junior Jada Hart carded a 6-4 win while sophomore Abi Altick and freshman Taylor Johnson won on court No. 3 to give UCLA an early 1-0 lead.
“LSU is a very tough and loud team,” Hart said. “So we had to amp up our energy to be successful today.”
Senior Gabby Andrews went on to defeat LSU’s Luba Vasilyuk in straight sets 6-2, 6-0, giving UCLA a 2-0 lead.
“I just tried to carry the momentum from doubles because I knew (Vasilyuk) was a tough player,” Andrews said. “I knew she was really confident in her singles game so I just tried to get my energy up.”
Bolton earned her win for UCLA with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of LSU’s Jessica Golovin. Her victory left the visitors in a 3-0 deficit.
“You can tell that Elysia loves this. She loves being in these big matchups,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “That’s just how she is. Every match she plays, she plays hard so she can enjoy being in the moment.”
Hart earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory over LSU’s Eden Richardson. Hart’s performance clinched the match to send UCLA through to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
“It’s good to solidify the win quickly, so everyone can get their rest and get their bodies recovered for Friday,” Hart said. “It’s good that we’re on and off the court to recover faster.”
The Bruins will spend some time off before returning to the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Friday to take on No. 10 seed Washington. The match will mark the third time the Bruins have met with the Huskies this season.
“There’s going to be a lot of energy and a lot of emotions in the match,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s going to really come down to who can handle the moment the best.”
