Women’s tennis rallies to secure 5th home win of season against California

Sasha Vagramov clinched another one.

The freshman for No. 7 UCLA women’s tennis (8-1) clinched her fourth match of the season on court six to give the Bruins the win over California (1-2) for their fifth win at home.

Vagramov had won the first set 6-2, but in the second, the Bears’ Jessica Zeynel battled back to force a tiebreak to stay in the match.

“It was definitely tougher in the second set,” Vagramov said. “She started playing better, competing really well and, mentally, it was getting a bit more demanding.”

But at 4-2 in the tiebreaker, Vagramov won three of the next four points to come away with the breaker, giving UCLA the fourth and clinching point for the win.

“I enjoy the pressure,” Vagramov said. “I wouldn’t say it’s tough for me, this is an amazing atmosphere. Obviously I’ve played tiebreakers in juniors, but college is an even more high-pressure environment, so it helps me stay motivated because every point matters.”

Vagramov had previously clinched three of the four matches for UCLA at the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, against Illinois, then-No. 9 Florida State and then-No. 1 Stanford.

“She’s our clincher,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster about the Canadian native. “I think she came in not really knowing too much about college tennis, so it’s neat to see her excitement. We have so much belief in her. What really stood out is how professional she is out there. She doesn’t get rattled and has pretty good body language – you never know if she’s winning or losing.”

On court four, junior Abi Altick was the first one off the singles courts for the Bruins, claiming a 6-2, 6-3 win over the Bears’ Anna Bright.

After cruising for much of the first set, Altick once again jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second. But on deuce to go up 5-0, Altick dropped the point and Bright climbed back into the set 4-1.

“I lost the game at 4-0, and she started playing a little better,” Altick said. “The momentum was starting to switch a little bit, but I think I did a good job of just staying calm and finishing it off.”

In the following game, Altick again had the chance to reach five games in the set – but on deuce, Bright climbed another game back.

On a 30-40 breakpoint, Altick grabbed the point to take a 5-2 lead in her set. Bright grabbed one game back, but on deuce at 5-3, Altick grabbed UCLA’s second point of the day.

“It’s always hard to finish,” Sampras Webster said. “All of a sudden, opponents start playing better and you start thinking about the score. But (Altick’s) been clutch for us this year so I’m really proud of her, and I see her growth. She’s proven she can win in big moments.”

After an additional win on court two and Vagramov’s clincher, the rest of the singles matches were allowed to be played out. All Bruins emerged victorious on the day, with three out of the six courts coming back from first set deficits.

UCLA had kicked off the match by claiming the doubles point, with courts one and three jumping out to 3-0 and 2-0 leads, respectively. Court one featured the No. 1 nationally ranked team of sophomore Elysia Bolton and redshirt senior Jada Hart, and the duo was on the verge of winning four consecutive games out of the gate.

But on deuce at 3-3, Hart was aced on a second serve, and California clawed one game back.

From there, the Bears brought the score back to 3-3. The Bruins would again take the lead at 6-5 but the duo didn’t get to finish their match.

“Everyone’s gunning after them,” Sampras Webster said. “Everyone’s playing their best against them, and they have to expect that. But I think they’re handling (the pressure) very well. I think they believe they are the best, and they take pride in that.”

Wins on courts two and three secured the doubles point for UCLA – their first doubles point win since it was swept by North Carolina at the ITA indoors. The Bruins had previously claimed the last 24 doubles points dating back to last season.

UCLA will travel across town next week to take on USC at Marks Stadium.