When Riza Zalameda returned to Westwood from Indian Wells for her team’s first dual match of the season, she did not come back empty-handed.
Zalameda captured both the singles and doubles championships at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic, earning a qualifying wild card into the WTA Tour’s Pacific Life Open during the second week of March.
“It was a really great feeling to see hard work getting paid off,” Zalameda said. “I’m definitely excited and ready to go to that tournament.”
But once she returned to the courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center after playing what UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster called Zalameda’s best tennis in a while, the attention was focused on the team and getting off to a good start against Cal Poly.
The Bruins did just that, coming out with a great deal of energy in doubles after a long weekend of tournament play and a one hour rain delay.
Zalameda and sophomore Yasmin Schnack, the All-NCAA Championship duo at the No. 1 position, along with the No. 3 team of seniors Tracy Lin and Elizabeth Lumpkin, finished at virtually the same time to seal the doubles point.
From there, the Bruins never looked back, winning all six singles matches in two sets, but not without having to fight off a much-improved Cal Poly team.
“Cal Poly pushed us and they made us play,” Sampras Webster said. “We had to work hard to win this match.”
Getting to play the match after drying the courts was beneficial for UCLA, as it helped prepare them for the conditions they will be facing when they take on a tough Baylor team on Friday night in the second part of a double-header featuring a men’s tennis match against Pepperdine in the afternoon.
Just as they did on Monday evening, the Bruins will have to cope with the cold weather under the lights.
“It felt really nice to get a win under our belts,” junior Ashley Joelson said. “I think it was especially important for us, leading into the Baylor match on Friday, for us all to get a doubles match and a singles match.”
Though Zalameda played doubles, the Bruin senior sat out of singles play to rest up, and Lin, her teammate over the weekend at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic, took over at the top position, giving up just one game in a solid 6-0, 6-1 win.
Freshman Andrea Remynse fought off fatigue and nerves to win her first match as a Bruin at the No. 2 position.
“She just got back from playing a tournament and she’s a freshman,” Sampras Webster said of Remynse. “She was a little tired out there, but she’ll regroup and should be fine for Friday.”