Women’s tennis

Lori Garavartanian, Daily Bruin contributor

A three-game winning streak. A losing road record.

The two will clash Friday as No. 22 UCLA women’s tennis (10-7, 5-3 Big Ten ) will face Iowa (12-6, 6-3) at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City, Iowa. UCLA will continue its road trip against Nebraska (12-8, 2-7) at the Sid and Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday. The Bruins’ bouts with the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers will be firsts in program history.

After a 2-3 start to conference play, the Bruins have switched to a winning Big Ten record after winning their last three matches. They come into this weekend’s road trip with a 5-3 conference record and are tied with the Trojans for sixth place in the Big Ten standings.

Their away record, however, remains below .500 at 3-4.

“It’s not easy going on the road and you have to really deal with the blood of adversity,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “It is life and they do that, but being at home, there is a home court advantage for sure.”

Additionally, UCLA’s trip to the Midwest will be their last road matches before the Big Ten tournament in Ojai, California, where the top 12 teams in the conference qualify.

“We’re grateful for every opportunity,” said freshman Kate Fakih. “We just love it out here.”

Fakih and freshman Olivia Center are the No. 2 doubles pair in the country, a feat that has not been accomplished by a Bruin duo since Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart achieved a No. 1 national ranking in 2021.

Fakih reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 33 on Tuesday, also winning her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award on Wednesday. Junior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Wednesday after defeating Wisconsin’s then-No. 5 Maria Sholokhova and Minnesota’s Aiva Schmitz in singles over the weekend.

The Bruins face the Hawkeyes for the first time 3 p.m. Friday and the Huskers 10 a.m. Sunday.

“Just be smart and confident,” Sampras Webster said. “Never think it’s going to be easy.”

Men’s tennis
Chloe Agas, Daily Bruin staff

There is a sense of rhythm that comes with a home court.

The elements are often overlooked – the bounce of the ball, the feel of the court beneath the players’ shoes, the arrangement of spectators and the sound of teammates just a few feet away.

But ease can only stretch so far when unfamiliar opponents stand on the other side of the net.

UCLA men’s tennis (9-8, 7-2 Big Ten) will host No. 21 Michigan (14-8, 8-2) on Friday and Michigan State (13-7, 8-2) on Sunday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins are 8-0 against the Wolverines, but haven’t faced them since 2018, and will battle the Spartans for the first time in program history.

UCLA and Michigan last met in the NCAA Championship’s round of 16, with the former victorious 4-2.

The Wolverines boast three ranked singles players – No. 54 Gavin Young, No. 68 Benjamin Kittay and No. 80 Will Cooksey. Young and Kittay are also the No. 17 doubles tandem and were the first duo in program history to reach the NCAA doubles championship final in November.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s clash against the Spartans brings No. 9 Ozan Baris, No. 31 Aristotelis Thanos, No. 94 Max Sheldon and No. 101 Matthew Forbes.

Baris was ranked No. 5 in his recruiting class and won the doubles title with former Cardinal Nishesh Basavareddy at the US Open Junior Championships in 2022. He is also the first Spartan to consecutively reach the NCAA championships for singles.

After a sweep against Penn State on April 6 – a rebound from the loss against then-No. 3 Ohio State – junior Gianluca Ballotta said the team is preparing for what’s at stake as the postseason looms.

“We feel good, we feel excited, definitely a little pressure trying to be in the best shape possible,” Ballotta said. “I feel everyone’s trying to feel as comfortable as possible on the court.”

Besides a home-court advantage for this weekend’s competition, coach Billy Martin said that the team’s ability to acclimate to different playing environments adds to the team’s edge.

“They’re more comfortable – at least right now in the year – playing outdoors or playing indoors, so that might be a little bit of an advantage for us,” Martin said. “It’s going to take a heck of an effort – but we’re looking forward to it.”

First serve is set to take place at 2 p.m. Friday and 12 p.m. Sunday.