This situation was unfamiliar for the No. 11 UCLA women’s tennis team.
After taking an early 2-0 lead over rival USC, Bruin sophomores Andrea Remynse and Maya Johansson and freshman Nina Pantic dropped consecutive singles matches, putting the Bruins in a 2-3 hole.
Knowing that one loss would mean defeat for the Bruins, senior Ashley Joelson and freshman Carling Seguso refused to roll over.
Joelson and Seguso delivered clutch performances for the Bruins (11-2, 1-0 Pac-10), who edged out the Trojans (8-2, 0-1) by a final score of 4-3 yesterday in the conclusion of Wednesday’s scheduled match.
“Ashley and Carling just out-competed their (opponents),” coach Stella Sampras Webster said. “They’re great fighters, and, when it comes down to it, those are the ones you want playing for your team.”
After Seguso won her third set to tie the match at 3-3, Joelson battled back from a 2-4 third set deficit to give the Bruins the fourth point and the victory.
“I’ve (clinched a victory) before,” Joelson said. “But there’s just something special about doing it against USC.”
On Wednesday, Seguso and doubles partner junior Stephanie Wetmore won their doubles match easily, but for Remynse and junior partner Yasmin Schnack, things were a little more complicated.
After taking an early 5-1 lead, USC’s Amanda Fink and Gabriela Niculescu stormed back to tie the match at 8-8. Schnack and Remynse won the tiebreaker, but Sampras Webster noticed their lapse in concentration that allowed the Women of Troy back into the match.
“They let up a little bit,” Sampras Webster said. “The thing that hurts them is that they start doubting themselves as a team, and in doubles you just can’t do that, especially against the best teams. They have the tools to be the best doubles team in the country, but it’s a matter of them believing in their shots.”
Schnack won her singles match over USC’s Sarah Fansler to remain undefeated in singles matches this season in 11 tries.
The match also marked the reappearance of Pantic, who had been ineligible for the first half of the season as a result of her acceptance of monetary winnings from professional tournaments.
The Bruins face off against the No. 45 Oregon Ducks (7-4, 1-1) today at 1:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.