Thursday, March 28, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

UCLA women’s tennis aims to persevere as postseason play begins

Freshman Kimmi Hance and junior Sasha Vagramov high-five on the courts. The UCLA women’s tennis doubles pair will be carrying its 10-0 record in dual matches this season into the Pac-12 championships this week. (Kaiya Pomeroy-Tso/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Women's tennis


Pac-12 Championships
Thursday-Saturday

Ojai, Calif.
No TV info/Pac-12 Los Angeles

By Jack Nelson

April 19, 2022 4:33 p.m.

The Bruins are winless in matches decided by one point.

Their fourth such loss came in their most recent match, costing them a second consecutive regular-season conference title.

But in Ojai, the blue and gold will get a fresh start in pursuit of a Pac-12 championship.

No. 2 seed UCLA women’s tennis (11-5, 7-1 Pac-12) will commence its fight for a conference tournament title Thursday. After coming within a point short of securing an undefeated record in conference play for the second consecutive year, the Bruins will play the victor of No. 7 seed Washington (14-10, 4-6) and No. 10 seed Washington State (7-14, 2-8) in the quarterfinals after earning a first-round bye.

“We’ve all learned so much from this situation,” said freshman Kimmi Hance. “With a 4-3 win or loss, you get so much information back. We can look to the right and the left and see someone’s winning or losing and it gives us more motivation to keep fighting.”

Despite entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed, UCLA’s start to dual-match play included historic losses to Loyola Marymount and Washington on Jan. 26 and 29, respectively. The Bruins were defeated by the Lions for the first time in program history and fell to the Huskies for the first time in nearly two decades.

However, UCLA constructed an eight-match winning streak in the middle of the season, which featured 6-1 and 4-1 triumphs over then-No. 7 California and then-No. 12 USC. The streak was put on pause because of a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the cancellation of four matches.

After her team wrapped up its second-shortest regular-season slate since at least 1999, junior Sasha Vagramov said she and her teammates have grown considerably.

“Compared to where we started this season, we’ve come an extremely long way and we’ve dealt with a ton of adversity,” Vagramov said. “I don’t really see that as a negative, I just see it as another example of how much we can persevere as a team and overcome those challenges.”

The Bruins enter postseason play carrying a .750 winning percentage across 40 finished matches of dual-doubles play. Vagramov and freshman Kimmi Hance – a tandem that has yet to be beaten in ten matches together at court three this season – are responsible for a third of those wins.

“Going into the postseason, we’re using our past success as confidence but never expecting it to go our way,” Vagramov said. “Kimmi and I do a really good job of staying in the moment and fighting together. As it gets tougher, we’re just going to have to keep doing that.”

In singles play, No. 28 junior Abbey Forbes leads the team in wins with an 11-2 record. Her highest-ranked win this season came against USC’s then-No. 5 Eryn Cayetano on Feb. 25.

Forbes has winning experience against both of the court one singles players for each of UCLA’s potential quarterfinals opponents. She defeated Washington State’s No. 41 Michaela Bayerlova and twice downed Washington’s No. 101, Vanessa Wong, earlier in the campaign.

Even with her singles successes, coach Stella Sampras Webster said Forbes’ leadership is not solely provided through her winning ways.

“She’s really the heart of our team,” said Sampras Webster. “She’s super positive and getting the team going, having great energy in practices and even during drills she’s constantly encouraging her teammates.”

UCLA claimed both of its most recent matchups with Washington and Washington State via 4-1 and 6-1 decisions, respectively.

Although Washington prevented UCLA from reaching the ITA Team Indoor Championship for the first time since 2017 with the Bruins’ loss in January, Vagramov said she has no preference for her first opponent of the postseason.

“I’m just excited to have a good, competitive match,” Vagramov said. “I know that whoever we see in the Pac-12 tournament, it’s going to come down to our fight and our effort.”

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Jack Nelson | Sports senior staff
Nelson is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously an assistant Sports editor on the softball, men's tennis and women's tennis beats and a contributor on the men's tennis and women's tennis beats.
Nelson is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously an assistant Sports editor on the softball, men's tennis and women's tennis beats and a contributor on the men's tennis and women's tennis beats.
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts