UCLA women’s tennis (13-7, 6-4 Pac-12) takes on Texas Tech (14-10, 4-5 Big 12) Friday at 11 a.m. in Durham, North Carolina, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Should the Bruins advance, they’ll play the winner of No. 6 seed Duke (22-4, 11-2 ACC) and William & Mary (15-5, 5-0 CAA) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Take a look at what kind of run the 2023 women’s tennis beat thinks UCLA can assemble.

Elise Oliver
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Second-round exit

Maybe I was a little too idealistic in saying the Bruins would go the distance to open the postseason.

But how could I not be?

Led by freshman No. 14 Fangran Tian’s stellar singles play and the No. 4 dynamic doubles duo of sophomores Elise Wagle and Kimmi Hance then-No. 20 UCLA capped off the regular season by winning all but one of its last eight matches. The team’s commanding presence on the court, however, was not reflected as it endured a 4-0 beating from No. 23 Washington and bid an early farewell to the Pac-12 tournament.

In their match against the Huskies – who had a comparatively weaker finish to their season – the Bruins were unable to secure the crucial doubles point and proceeded to lose three singles matches in rapid succession.

Despite this, I’m confident UCLA will cruise by Texas Tech, relying on its typical domination in doubles play to take an early lead. The doubles point has proven to be a significant indicator of success for the Bruins throughout the regular season, with only three losses in 16 matches where they secured it. I am optimistic that they will continue this trend opposite of the Red Raiders and ultimately come out on top, with Tian leading the way behind a strong singles performance on Court 1. The rest of the team will follow suit.

Had UCLA rolled past Washington and put up a solid fight against Stanford, I would predict it could pull off the upset against its second-round opponent, No. 6-seeded Duke. But given the blue and gold’s dependence on younger players, I believe its inexperience will once again be its downfall.

While they were able to defeat a pair of top 5 opponents this season, the Bruins will struggle against the Blue Devils’ impressive lineup of ranked singles players. Tian will put up a strong fight against No. 5 Chloe Beck but the pressure of playing against such a stacked team on a national stage may prove too much for the rest of the team.

UCLA has the potential, but inexperience is its weakness. The time for a deep postseason run will come, just not this year.

Pooja Kantemneni
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Second-round exit

Inconsistency and inexperience might mar UCLA’s postseason path.

After falling 4-0 to Washington in their first Pac-12 tournament match the Bruins do not look suited to dominate the NCAA tournament. In fact, I have little faith in them making it beyond the second round, where they face off against No. 6-seed Duke

The blue and gold was unable to snag the doubles point against Washington last week, an event that has dictated its success all season long. Three quick singles losses meant the Bruins were heading home days early.

UCLA has had plenty of rough moments this season but ended on a four-match winning streak before postseason play. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Bruins’ future, but maybe not in the immediacy.

I trust UCLA will rally past Texas Tech. However, it won’t be easy. The Red Raiders have played highly ranked teams close this season and even defeated then-No.20 Kansas 6-1 in March. The blue and gold has struggled to play up to par against lower-ranked teams this season, something that could come back to haunt it in the first round. Nevertheless, I have faith in the Bruins sliding by the Red Raiders.

The stones in the road amplify with Duke. Although UCLA has succeeded against multiple top-five opponents this season, I am not sure if it can execute the feat on the road.

The Bruins’ victories over then-No. 4 Ohio State and then-No. 5 Pepperdine came at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. If sophomore Ava Catanzarite, freshman Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and senior Sasha Vagramov – the three Bruins under .500 in dual-singles play this season – continue to struggle, Tian might not get a chance to save UCLA in Durham.

Natalie Glawe
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Second-round exit

Optimism proved insufficient for the Bruins’ postseason opener.

Though the blue and gold ended the regular season winning seven of eight matches, it was sent home to Westwood after its first matchup in Ojai against Washington.

That being said, it will take much more than the one tough loss to diminish the Bruins’ credentials for postseason success.

While I believe the Bruins’ falter against the Huskies is an indicator that they are not ready to dominate the NCAA tournament, their demonstrable improvement throughout the latter half of the regular season proves that they likely will do some damage.

The Bruins fell short of capturing the doubles point early on, and the following singles losses iced their defeat. That being said, coming into conference play off a 4-match winning streak is no accidental feat. Though, it would be fair to call it a feat largely made possible by the younger members of the team. Tian, for instance, has been the most solid winning staple for the Bruins – and this is her very first taste of postseason pressure.

Despite the issue of the Bruins’ reliance on younger players, I am confident in their ability to take down Texas Tech. Without any Red Raider representation in the ITA singles rankings, their chances of besting the blue and gold are slim. I trust the Bruins to return to their norm of snagging the early doubles point and pull through with singles wins.

Once they escape the Red Raiders, I think the Bruins will struggle to weather the storm in Durham. Though it is true that the Bruins have an adeptness to show up when pitted against highly ranked opponents – such as then-No. 4 Ohio State and then-No. 5 Pepperdine – the lack of postseason experience across the UCLA squad will eventually account for its downfall at that point in the postseason.

Even if the Blue Devils do send the Bruins home to Westwood, it will serve as the end of a commendable comeback campaign.

Jack Nelson
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: Third-round exit

“Disaster in Ojai” would be a fitting synopsis of what transpired for the Bruins last week.

Riding the high of seven wins in its previous eight matches and facing a program that had dropped four of its last five, No. 20 UCLA bucked the trend in a bad way. The blue and gold grabbed just eight games across three straight-set singles losses, handing No. 23 Washington a fastpass to the Pac-12 semifinals.

The very real risk of relying on five underclassmen starters could not have been more evident in the 4-0 beating. Frankly, I – along with the rest of the beat – was caught with my pants down in light of our optimistic Pac-12 predictions.

Yet I still maintain optimism for what UCLA can do on the national stage.

Texas Tech has no representatives in the ITA singles rankings – not one. And across 24 dual matches, the Red Raiders have secured 14 doubles points. A majority won of doubles points available, but just barely.

UCLA, on the other hand, has done so 80% of the time with four less chances, and also happens to be led by recently minted All-Americans Hance and Wagle. Should the Bruins flex doubles strength from the get-go, I don’t see how the Red Raiders can get four points on the singles front.

Sparks will fly a round later when the Bruins knock out the No. 6-seeded Blue Devils and its vaunted quartet of top-100 singles players, with a titanic clash between Tian and Beck proving to be one of the season’s finest battles. UCLA has a tendency to play up to high-caliber opponents – then-No. 4 Ohio State and then-No. 5 Pepperdine can both attest to that.

Likely with No. 11 seed Iowa State on the Sweet 16 docket, though, the Calamity in Coral Gables will come back to haunt UCLA, capping a respectable run for a team that was once well at risk of missing the tournament entirely.

Hopefully, my pants remain tight around my waist this time around.