McPhillips was ranked No. 40 in the country heading into the tournament, before proceeding to put together a string of impressive victories to win the singles championship draw. The victory in the conference tournament moved her up 20 spots in the rankings to No. 20 in the nation and into the NCAA Tournament singles draw.
“It’s really amazing how Kyle has moved up into the rankings after a great Ojai,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “It’s pretty remarkable the way she has finished the season.”
McPhillips’ success has been a process with multiple ups and downs along the road of her freshman campaign. She was a top recruit and came to UCLA with high expectations.
She started off the season well, with a good showing at the National Indoor Championships where she won or had decisions in all her matches and beat multiple ranked opponents as a part of Bruin victories.
As the season wore on though, McPhillips began to struggle. After winning in her first eight matches, McPhillips lost back-to-back matches against opponents from Pepperdine and USC. McPhillips attributed the tough losses to the challenges of transitioning to the college level.
“The learning curve comes from the fact that you have to play dual matches every weekend and be ready to compete at the highest level,” McPhillips said. “You have to be ready to go week after week after week.”
After the first time UCLA played USC in the dual-match season, McPhillips righted herself, scoring victories against players from lower-ranked teams. Still, she had trouble against tougher opponents, losing in singles during the against Stanford and Cal.
The Bruins’ final Pac-12 showdown against the Trojans was to be the turning point for McPhillips. UCLA lost the match. but McPhillips gained a victory over then-No. 8 ranked Danielle Lao, giving the young Bruin a huge boost of confidence.
“I kept losing to good players,” McPhillips said. “Danielle Lao gave me the confidence to know that I could play at their level.”
Freshman Catherine Harrison, one of McPhillips’ close friends since their days of playing juniors tennis together, has seen McPhillips’ growth firsthand over the course of the season.
“I think she has really improved,” Harrison said. “She is really playing well ever since Ojai and all the confidence she gained there.”
Despite what many would consider a successful first season as a Bruin, McPhillips is not content to rest on her laurels. She pointed out many aspects of her game she would like to work on when she begins preparation for her sophomore season.
“My fitness, my serves, I want to come to the net more … everything,” McPhillips said. “Nothing is perfect. I’m always trying to improve.”