Forming a winning bond has been the key to serving up perfect chemistry on the court for the Bruins.

Coming off a 4-0 drubbing of Oregon this weekend, No. 24 UCLA women’s tennis (11-6, 5-4 Pac-12) will host UC San Diego (9-13, 1-7 Big West) at home Tuesday. In what will be their second-to-last match of the regular season, the Bruins will seek to extend their winning streak to three and secure their sixth victory in their last seven matches.

No. 19 freshman Fangran Tian says her connection with her teammates, particularly fellow freshman and doubles partner Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, has been essential for their on-court success.

“We’re definitely best friends,” Tian said. “We have really good chemistry playing together. I really enjoy sharing the court with her, and we both trust each other.”

In fact, since they first teamed up against Colorado on March 31, the partners have swept their six doubles matches, playing an essential role in seven straight doubles points for the Bruins.

Though the team struggled with inconsistencies to open the season, coach Stella Sampras Webster says she has seen her players evolve, crediting their success to a strong bond on and off the court.

“The way they’re playing and the way they’re competing is very different than where we were in January,” Sampras Webster said. “We really didn’t know much of our team (and) just struggled in the beginning. But it looks like we’re in a good place now. I think culture is good. Everyone’s really coming together.”

The Bruins have yet to face the Tritons in the history spanning the two programs, and the latter has struggled in its transition to Division I. The team hasn’t won more than two conference matches in each of its last three seasons.

Despite this mismatch, sophomore Kimmi Hance said she understands the importance of riding the wave of momentum all the way to the Pac-12 Championships.

“I definitely think (we need to keep) that energy that we’re having right now,” Hance said. “Even after the loss to Arizona State, we were able to bounce back quickly. Right now, I just feel like everyone’s on the same page.”

Sampras Webster noted the importance of sending the right message to the team as it looks to maintain this drive for the last two contests of the regular season.

“It’s definitely a long season, and a lot of things happen,” Sampras Webster said. “But everyone’s in a good place, and we just got to stay healthy, to be honest. We just take one match at a time. We want to peak. We obviously want to do well at Pac-12s.”

A victory Tuesday would not only serve as postseason preparation, but it would also tally Sampras Webster’s 500th win as head coach at UCLA. At the helm of the team for over two decades, Sampras Webster has witnessed it all and is proud of the young team she has now, which has defeated the odds to take down then-No.4 Ohio State and No. 5 Pepperdine.

“They feel like they can beat anyone in the country when they beat teams like that,” Sampras Webster said. “Everyone’s in a good place. Just got to keep everyone healthy moving forward, have a little luck and we’ll be good.”