Women’s tennis remains undefeated after sweeping Saint Mary’s, UC Santa Barbara
Redshirt senior Jada Hart missed both of UCLA women’s tennis’ matchups during ITA kickoff weekend, but returned to the court Saturday and Sunday to post a 2-0 singles record for the Bruins. (Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
By Donovon Barnes
Feb. 3, 2020 12:19 p.m.
The Bruins logged their third and fourth consecutive sweeps to start their new campaign.
No. 4 UCLA women’s tennis (4-0) hasn’t dropped a point through its opening four contests of the dual match season, most recently shutting out Saint Mary’s (0-2) and UC Santa Barbara (1-3) by scores of 7-0 both days.
The Bruins defeated the Gaels on Saturday and didn’t surrender a single set on the day.
On Sunday, the Bruins completed their weekend with a victory over the Gauchos, with redshirt senior Jada Hart – ranked No. 9 in singles – coming off the court first for the UCLA with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Tiffany Lagarde.
Hart – who had missed the Bruins’ opening two games during ITA kickoff weekend – said she entered the weekend with a clear mind and was ready to adapt to the play style of her opponent.
“(When I’m out there), I kind of like to like to play freely. If I have to change my tactics, then I will change them when deemed necessary,” Hart said. “We all wanted to stay fresh going to playing for the indoor championship.”
Sophomore Elysia Bolton and junior Annette Goulak, along with freshmen Abbey Forbes and Sasha Vagramov, rallied against their respective opponents.
In doubles play, the No. 2 ranked team of Bolton and Hart were able to take down the Gauchos’ Amit Lev Ari and Elizaveta Volodko to improve the duo’s record to 10-2 on the year.
Altick and Vagramov sealed the doubles point for the Bruins on court three, with a 6-1 win over Shakhnoza Khatamova and Lagarde. Altick and Vagramov said they will try to keep their momentum going as they head to indoor championships.
“I try to take the game one step at a time and never get down on myself,” Vagramov said. “If I’m down, I try to stay calm and with my teammates by my side helps me stay motivated and stay pumped.”
Coach Stella Sampras Webster said she was happy with the result of the match, and excited about how the team responded to early adversity.
“Today was a good match for us. UC Santa Barbara played us very well – they made it very challenging for us,” Sampras Webster said. “This was important for us to get a few matches under our belt before the indoor championship. This was a good team win; everyone (I think) is doing their part and I’m just excited how our team is going to respond for the next match.”
