As the season’s end draws near, the Bruins will look to send a message in a faceoff with a top-five foe.

Coming off a 4-2 loss against Arizona State, UCLA women’s tennis (9-6, 4-4 Pac-12) will return to the Los Angeles Tennis Center to face No. 4 Pepperdine (13-2, 4-0 WCC) on Wednesday. Shortly after, the Bruins will fly to Eugene to face Oregon (11-7, 4-4) on Friday.

Pepperdine represents the first top-five opponent UCLA will face since its defeat of then-No. 4 Ohio State on March 12. The Waves sit atop the West Coast Conference and are heading to Los Angeles on the heels of a 10-match win streak. Seven of Pepperdine’s victories in the stretch were sweeps and five came against top 25-ranked teams.

Coach Stella Sampras Webster said the team is ready to face the Waves after the tough loss in Tempe.

“It’s great to see some players just get some rhythm and some confidence,” Sampras Webster said. “The important thing right now is getting them prepared to play against Pepperdine.”

Unlike Pepperdine, UCLA hasn’t faced a top-25 opponent since meeting then-No. 18 Stanford on March 26. The blue and gold also witnessed its own three-match win streak snap against Arizona State on Saturday.

Despite the loss, No. 17 freshman Fangran Tian said the team is ready for its next challenge.

“We always want to beat Pepperdine,” Tian said. “I know they’re a really good team, but we’re going to try our best to defeat them.”

At 12 consecutive victories, Tian has not lost a dual-singles match this season. Both her matches in the desert last weekend went three sets, with only her Friday contest against Arizona finishing – a match which Tian won after dropping the first frame 3-6.

Despite her lofty spot, Tian said she does not evaluate her progress solely off rankings.

“There are definitely players that are ranked lower but have great levels too,” Tian said. “I can’t judge my level just purely using the ranking, but I’m still happy to see I’m getting better.”

Tian’s demeanor on and off the court defines the leadership she provides for her teammates, according to Sampras Webster.

“She has a great attitude on the court, she’s very coachable,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s obviously great to have a leader like that on our team.”

Alongside Tian, No. 108 Kimmi Hance holds the Bruins’ only other active win streak, a three-match stretch in both singles and doubles play. The sophomore was the only Bruin to record a singles victory against the Sun Devils, defeating Chelsea Fontenel in straight sets.

Hance said she enjoyed adding her personal victories to the team score.

“It was good knowing that I was able to get the ball rolling,” Hance said. “Hopefully, it kind of helped my teammates.”

On Friday, UCLA will meet Oregon at the Student Tennis Center, where the Ducks have lost their last two matches. However, Oregon still touts an 8-3 home record, having gone on a six-match home win streak earlier in the season.

Despite some uneven results last weekend, Hance said the team feels prepared for its upcoming schedule.

“Even though we weren’t able to get the win against ASU, we learned a lot,” Hance said. “We’re ready for Pepperdine on Wednesday and Oregon on Friday.”