The ball careened past senior Noelle Hickey’s outstretched racket and nestled into the corner of the court at the Los Angeles Tennis Center Wednesday in the early goings of UCLA’s 7-0 victory over UC Irvine.
For UC Irvine’s Becka Kwan, it was the end of a fiercely contested match, and she let out the trademark tennis victory cry: “Come on!”
But for junior Nina Pantic, Hickey’s doubles partner, it was an opportunity.
On a dead baseline sprint from the other side of the court, Pantic got to the ball and lobbed it back over the net in play.
Hickey quickly realized what had happened, and called upon her knowledge of the rulebook along with some past experience to seize the opportunity for an easy but crucial point.
“If you celebrate when the ball’s going away from you, you forfeit the point (because) it’s a distraction if they’re trying to hit the ball,” Hickey said. “That has happened to me countless times, so I knew right away that point wasn’t going to be theirs.”
Hickey saved the day on that occasion, but it was Pantic’s strong serving that got the pair through the marathon deuce that followed.
The UCLA tandem won the game and eventually the match by sweeping the tiebreaker over their exhausted and demoralized opponents, 8-7 (7-0).
It was a match of little consequence to the day’s outcome; UCLA had already clinched the doubles point with 8-2 victories on Courts No. 2 and 3.
But to Hickey and Pantic, it was the only thing that mattered.
“When I step out there, my first goal is to win the point for the team,” Hickey said. “But once that’s been decided, it becomes personal. It’s important that even though the match has been decided, you stay the course and you continue to plug away.”
UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster noted the importance of the passion displayed by her players, especially in doubles play, which has been an area of concern for the team this season.
“It was good to see that they had each other’s backs,” Sampras Webster said. “They really pulled that out, after not playing a whole lot together and not playing very well.”
The No. 7 Bruins (5-2) got out to a fast start in singles play as well.
UCLA took five out of a possible six first sets from the Anteaters (1-3).
Sophomore Pamela Montez extended her singles unbeaten streak to five matches with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over UC Irvine sophomore Kristina Smith on Court No. 3.
“I just go out there every single time and try my hardest regardless of the situation,” Montez said.
Hickey’s singles match was decidedly easier than her grueling doubles encounter.
Hickey did away with junior Courtney Byron by way of a quick 6-2, 6-0 rout at the No. 1 position.
Senior Andrea Remynse followed suit soon thereafter with a similarly dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Kwan on Court No. 2.