An undefeated team. An uncharted territory.

With the Bruins entering a tournament they have not qualified for in four years, it will soon become clear which will prevail.

No. 3 seed UCLA women’s tennis (3-0) will face No. 6 seed Oklahoma (5-0) in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Illinois, on Friday.

Having last participated in the tournament in 2021, no current Bruin has ever competed in the Indoor Championships.

“Indoors is going to be exciting,” said No. 53 senior Elise Wagle, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week. “This is the first year that I’ve made it. Kimmi (senior Kimmi Hance) and I have made it as seniors.”

UCLA won the ITA Indoor Championships once before in 2012. It entered the tournament with a 5-0 record and finished the season 26-3. This year, the Bruins qualified for the tournament after sweeping Washington on Jan. 25 during ITA Kickoff Weekend and again finding themselves undefeated – most recently taking down then-No. 18 California on Sunday.

“We’re going to be as ready, as fired up as possible,” Wagle said. “Keep the same energy and practice and you know it’s going to be fun.”

The Bruins will also enter Friday’s competition with a third-ranked doubles pairing, their highest-ranked duo since Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart were ranked No. 1 in 2021.

Kate Fakih and Olivia Center, the sole freshmen on the roster, are currently the No. 3 tandem in the nation. The pair, who have been playing together since they were 11, closed out 2024 with a runner-up finish at the NCAA individual championships and started the year with two doubles victories. However, they enter Friday fresh off a doubles loss to California’s No. 13 Mao Mushika and Katja Wiersholm.

The Bruins also boast an additional pair of nationally ranked tandems in No. 9 Hance and Wagle and No. 30 sophomore Ahmani Guichard and junior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer.

The tournament features 16 teams – including No. 1 seeds Texas A&M and Georgia – split across two host sites: Urbana and Evanston, Illinois. Every team besides the hosts Illinois and Northwestern appear in the nation’s top 25.

“Every team is competitive, every team is tough,” senior Stella Sampras-Webster said. “It’s really important for us to stay healthy, for us to give ourselves the best chance to win against these teams.”

Thus far, all three of the Bruins’ wins this season have come at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, meaning a win against the Sooners would mark their first away from Westwood this season.

However, the Atkins Tennis Center is a completely unfamiliar site for UCLA, with no active Bruin having played a collegiate match on its grounds.

“I’m just focused on playing my game,” No. 17 Lutkemeyer said. “Just continue to be aggressive, continue to focus on fitness.”

The Bruins begin play Friday at 10 a.m. With a win, UCLA will then face the victor of No. 7 seed LSU and No. 2 seed Michigan on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Northwestern’s Combe Tennis Center on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.