This post was updated Jan. 23 at 9:17 p.m.

Despite being protected from incoming thunderstorms in Louisiana, the Bruins have a chance to set off lightning during their bayou back-to-back.

No. 18 UCLA women’s tennis (1-0) will face No. 24 UCF (1-0) on Saturday before dueling either No. 5 LSU (2-0) or Marshall (2-0) on Sunday at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge. A pair of wins from this ITA Kickoff Weekend would clinch the Bruins a February trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Illinois.

“It’s just getting ready for another battle,” said head coach Stella Sampras Webster. “It’s a great opportunity to play someone out of our conference, play a team that we don’t normally play and to go out and play free.”

The trip to Baton Rouge marks the first road trip of the season for UCLA and opens a three-week slate of travel, with its next home match Feb. 14.

It also marks the first team road trip for freshmen Mayu Crossley, Kayla Chung and Rona Rugara. Crossley and Chung played prominent roles in the Bruins’ 5-2 season-opening victory against San Diego State on Jan. 18, clinching the doubles point and playing in the singles lineup.

“They’re all together and traveling together – that’s where they really bond,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s not easy coming in and losing hours of sleep and having to perform and get their bodies and minds ready for competition.”

The Bruins hosted ITA Kickoff Weekend under the sun at the Los Angeles Tennis Center last season. UCLA dominated on its home turf, defeating Washington and No. 18 California 4-0 and 4-2, respectively.

This weekend is very different.

The Bruins will play their first indoor matches since February 2025.

“We’re going to practice Tuesday and Wednesday and try to do things that we would have to do indoors,” Sampras Webster said after Sunday’s win. “Stay up on the baseline, shorten their backswings, just because indoor tennis is so much faster.”

Saturday’s matchup also marks the Bruins’ first ranked opponent of the season.

UCF has a roster composition very similar to UCLA, with two freshmen and two sophomores starting in their six-player rotation. The Knights are headlined by 2025 Big Sky League MVP Daryna Shoshyna and All-Big 12 Freshman Olivia Bergler.

“(We plan on) continuing the teamwork and the energy and working together,” said senior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer. “Having that trust and belief in each other and knowing that we’re capable of that.”

Crossley, the second player in the Bruins’ singles lineup, enters the weekend at a vastly different point in her career than the team’s veteran core.

The nation’s No. 1 freshman claimed her first dual-match win in straight sets last Sunday, marking what appears to be a seamless transition to collegiate tennis for the Tokyo local.

“I think I learned from a lot this fall (NCAA Individuals),” Crossley said. “Anything can happen in a match, especially in college tennis. I was trying to focus on myself and not others. Mentally, I was always positive.”

Crossley added that she has tried to slow down before serves to calm her nerves, incorporating advice from Sampras Webster.

Junior Bianca Fernandez – who played in the No. 6 spot during last season’s super regional matchup against Texas A&M – has not seen action this season, with Sampras Webster opting in favor of Chung.

After three decades steering the ship, UCLA’s coach has taken a flexible approach to crafting the Bruins’ rotation.

“You never know with the lineup,” Sampras Webster said. “I never guarantee anything for the girls because things can happen … so I try to manage it well and communicate things with them well so they understand where we’re at. We’re trying to get four points.”