The teams congregated. Spectators’ eyes drifted from side to side. The ball floated through the warm afternoon air. Anticipatory silence enveloped the stadium.

The short-lived silence suddenly blossomed into a raucous frenzy. Fans rose to their feet as the Bruins cheered, flashing smiles.

The rookies had done it.

Fueled by freshmen Mayu Crossley and Kayla Chung’s first doubles-point-clinching win of the season, No. 17 UCLA women’s tennis (1-0) defeated San Diego State (1-1) 5-2 on Jan. 18 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins did not trail at any point en route to their first dual-match victory of the season, claiming the doubles point and the first three singles matches.

“I was really impressed with how they handled the moment for their first match and first match together,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “Seeing them both together, smiling and really good energy, it’s what you want to see when your players are under stress determining the doubles point.”

Crossley and Chung carved out prominent roles on opening day. In addition to competing as the third tandem in the Bruins’ doubles lineup, the rookies got singles action on courts two and six, respectively.

The pair’s first victory of the season did not come without nerves, though.

The doubles matches on courts one and two had concluded, with the Bruins and the Aztecs split following sophomore duo Kate Fakih and Olivia Center’s 6-4 win. Crossley and Chung held a 5-4 lead against San Diego State’s Gloria Alogo and Liisa Varul when spectators shifted their attention to them.

A strong volley from Chung helped propel the pair to a 6-4 victory and cemented the Bruins’ doubles triumph.

They had emerged victorious in their first taste of collegiate tennis.

“I was super, super nervous because it was (the) first match, playing dual-match,” Crossley said. “But when I’m on the court, I feel a lot of support … and so much energy.”

Crossley, the No. 1 freshman in the nation, said the crowd’s fervor initially took her aback before she settled in and began viewing it as a source of momentum for the group.

Sampras Webster said the poise of the pair impressed her, adding that its doubles effort kickstarted UCLA’s singles winning spree.

The Bruins’ singles effort began with Fakih claiming a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Jayna Clemens.

Crossley followed up Fakih with another straight-set victory, besting All-Mountain West senior Ninon Martinache 6-3, 6-2 to extend the Bruins’ lead to 3-0.

Senior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer delivered the match’s deciding blow.

After falling 6-3 in the first set to Jo-Yee Chan, Lutkemeyer won the last two sets 6-1, securing the first tally in the Bruins’ 2026 win column.

“I just focused on continuing to play my game, and I knew that it was going to come back,” Lutkemeyer said. “I was definitely a little nervous today, first match back. Haven’t played a dual match in a while, but I just trusted myself and knew that I’d get it together eventually.”

Sampras Webster, now in her 30th season as head coach, decided to continue playing the remaining sets despite having secured the victory.

“Especially in the beginning, it’s important to do this, because a lot of them haven’t played a tournament since December,” Sampras Webster said. “So I think everyone needed to play, even San Diego State. But as the season goes on, when everyone’s getting beat up during a season, then we’ll make adjustments.”

Sunday marked the first meeting between the two teams since the Bruins’ 4-3 loss to the Aztecs on Mar. 1 last year, in which UCLA conceded the final three singles matches.

Sampras Webster acknowledged that the loss was still fresh to many on the team in the days leading up to this year’s match.

“San Diego State is a formidable team,” Sampras Webster said prior to the match. “They’ve got a lot of great players, so I don’t think anyone’s taking them lightly. We actually lost to them last year, so I think everyone’s excited to get another chance at them.”

UCLA’s singles lineup currently has four underclassmen – Center, Chung, Crossley and Fakih – and has another, freshman Rona Rugara, waiting in the wings.

Teams filled with underclassmen typically temper aspirations, centering goals around moral victories and developmental achievements.

The Bruins disagree.

“Our goal is always to try to win the Big Ten conference – staying healthy and building our team to play the best tennis at the end of our season,” Sampras Webster said prior to the match.

UCLA will travel to the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face UCF on Saturday.