TULSA, Okla. “”mdash; It took several attempts, but once she finally hit a backhand volley winner down the line, Elizabeth Lumpkin and her teammates were finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
Lumpkin clinched a spot for the Bruins (23-5) in the NCAA Championship match for the second-straight year, but not before Florida’s Marrit Boonstra fought off five match points.
“No matter how many match points I missed, I knew I had to just stay calm and mentally tough and believe that I could win that game,” Lumpkin said. “Knowing that I’m a senior and she’s a freshman, I’ve been in situations where it’s been a tight match, and I’ve been there a lot.”
The Bruins started off strong, handing the sixth-seeded Gators their first loss in doubles play all season and earning the first point on court No. 3 where the Florida duo of Julia Cohen and Anastasia Revzina had previously posted a perfect 21-0 record.
But Florida didn’t let up easily.
Senior Riza Zalameda and freshman Andrea Remynse got the Bruins on the board quickly, with their respective wins on courts No. 1 and No. 3.
For eighth-ranked Zalameda, who defeated No. 29 Julia Cohen 6-2, 6-1, it was the first time in her postseason career that she won a singles match, after going without a win during last year’s run to the NCAA Championship match.
“It’s a great confidence boost for me,” Zalameda said. “I’ve finally gotten over that hump, and now hopefully I can come out strong tomorrow in singles and help the team out again.”
UCLA will now take on eighth-seeded California, which upset fifth-seeded Baylor 4-3 , in the seventh all-Pac-10 final.
If the Bruins follow the trend set by Lumpkin, who won on her sixth match point, they will be in good shape, since it will be UCLA’s sixth trip to the championship match.
Unlike last year, when the Bruins were happy to get by in each round, the expectations this year have forced them not to dwell very long on any win but rather to focus on the final prize.
“We’ve been in the finals, and we’re not about to lose this again for the second time,” senior Tracy Lin said. “We’re ready, and we’re not going to let Cal take this away from us. I’m sure they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, but so are we.”
The Bruins and Golden Bears have met twice already this season, splitting the regular season matches 1-1. Both matches were won by a score of 4-3, with UCLA’s win coming on the road.
Surprisingly, UCLA won in the second meeting after giving up the doubles point, a rarity for the Bruins.
“To be honest, we have the best doubles in the nation, and we’re proving it with every match we play,” Lin said.
The last thing the Bruins have left to prove is that they really are the best team in the nation, something they have believed from the moment the team started practicing in the months leading to the opening of the season.
With five of its top six players having the experience of playing in last season’s final match, the Bruins are poised heading into what will be the last match for four seniors.
“I think our experience from last year is definitely going to be an advantage for us,” Zalameda said. “We have been in this situation, and we have that under our belt.
“We know what we need to do, and now we are more cohesive as a team compared to last year. Now we know what it takes.”
NOTES: Monday afternoon’s semifinal match was the first time the Bruins gave up an individual match to their opponent and the first time sophomore Yasmin Schnack was defeated in two years of postseason play. Her record fell to 9-1. … Both of the coaches for the championship match, UCLA’s Stella Sampras Webster and Cal’s Amanda Augustus, are past NCAA doubles champions at the same schools they are now coaching. Sampras Webster won the 1988 doubles title and Augustus captured back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999.