CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified the tennis player in the accompanying photo.
The Bruins came up with by far their biggest victory of the year on Sunday, upsetting the second-ranked Mississippi Rebels, 4-3, and advancing to today’s NCAA Championship semifinals.
After the match, UCLA coach Billy Martin expressed just how big of a victory this was for his squad of underdogs.
“This was by far our biggest win of the season, without a doubt,” Martin said. “The match couldn’t have been any closer and we’re very lucky to have won.”
The victory came by the slimmest of margins, coming down to the seventh and final match of the competition between UCLA sophomore Nick Meister and Mississippi freshman Marcel Thiemann on Court No. 6. Meister won 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
The third set was a nail-biter, with each player holding serve until Meister and Thiemann exchanged breaks leaving Meister up 5-4. The sophomore then held serve to clinch the set 6-4 and the match 4-3.
Martin was pleased with Meister’s performance with the Bruin season on the line and couldn’t say enough about the sophomore standout.
“That was just an incredible performance by Nick,” Martin said. “All the pressure was on him: A trip to the NCAA semis was all on his shoulders, and he just played really high-quality tennis. But I felt really confident because he’s done this before. He’s always enjoyed being in that position which some people don’t want to be in.”
After his nail-biting victory, Meister explained what the pressure felt like once he knew the team match would be decided on his court.
“I knew I had to win,” Meister said. “I was incredibly nervous, but I knew I had to get it done, and luckily I was able to fight through with the encouragement of my teammates. I still can’t believe I won.”
With the win, the Bruins have now tallied 14 consecutive victories, with their last loss coming on Feb. 28 to Stanford. In addition, UCLA will make its second consecutive NCAA semifinals appearance.
Up next for the Bruins are the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that handed UCLA one of its four losses on the season.
However, Martin is not taking too much from that match earlier in the season, in which the Bruins were defeated handily 4-0.
“We know they’re a very good team,” Martin said. ” But I think we are a much better team at this point. We’re much more prepared. We’re just in a much better frame of mind, and we are a lot healthier.”
The winner will face the victor of tomorrow’s other semifinal between No. 12 Texas and No. 8 USC. USC upset No. 1 Virginia on Sunday.