This post was updated April 17 at 11:38 p.m.

“Doggonit, they should’ve won that match.”

Coach Billy Martin’s disappointment mirrored the team’s. But they didn’t let it deter them.

Although it dropped the doubles point, UCLA men’s tennis (6-2) bested Pennsylvania (5-6) with a final score of 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon in its first-ever matchup against the Quakers.

No. 41 sophomore Alexander Hoogmartens made his return to the lineup, slotting in at No. 1 doubles with redshirt senior Patrick Zahraj. The Bruins opened the set with strong groundstrokes and skillful volleys, eventually earning a 5-1 advantage.

But assertive net play and double breaks from the Quakers led to a furious four-game slide that knotted the set at five games apiece.

The blue and gold had choked its lead and found itself in a deadlock with the No. 5 doubles pairing in the nation. Pennsylvania’s Edoardo Graziani and Kevin Zhu won the tiebreaker handily 7-6 (1), visibly frustrating the Bruins and putting UCLA down a point heading into singles.

“The tiebreaker with them was just clinical,” Zahraj said.

The redshirt senior added that it was discouraging to lose the doubles point after feeling like victory was within reach.

However, the Quakers’ resurgence wouldn’t trump the Bruins’ resiliency.

With Hoogmartens still out of the singles lineup because of injury management, half of UCLA’s singles matches were helmed by freshmen – and they delivered.

The blue and gold jumped out to a one-set lead on five out of the six singles courts, leaving it well-prepared to notch the four necessary wins.

Martin and Zahraj both emphasized how proud they were of the team’s ability to come out swinging against Pennsylvania’s singles lineup.

“We definitely didn’t let our head down and just went to work right away in singles,” Zahraj said. “(We) showed some great effort and then bounced back after such a really tough loss.”

Victories from freshmen Azuma Visaya and Aadarsh Tripathi pushed the Bruins to three singles wins, leaving the fate of the match up to courts one and six.

Gianluca Ballotta had delivered a commanding 6-3 win to start his match, but a five-game skid lost him the second set. The freshman said Pennsylvania’s Baylor Sai’s level of play challenged him to rethink his approach.

“I took a little bathroom break in between sets and just started thinking, and everything went well,” Ballotta said.

While Ballotta was entrenched in a tight third set, Zahraj was battling No. 121 Graziani in a second-set tiebreaker. Fans swiveled their heads on the upper walkway of the Los Angeles Tennis Center, uncertain who would finish first.

It was Ballotta who ultimately sealed the deal.

The freshman said he didn’t know his match could clinch the victory for the Bruins until the last game and added that it slightly changed his mentality.

“It’s a little bit more pressure too,” Ballotta said. “But it always feels great.”

Martin said the mental fortitude his freshmen maintained going into singles play was admirable, and he praised their ability to move past the disappointing opening defeat.

“These guys were somewhat pissed off and ready to go,” Martin said. “That’s what I think showed a lot of maturity.”