Despite the cold weather and rain falling on their heads, the UCLA women’s tennis players stood shoulder to shoulder on an adjacent court as they watched junior Chanelle Van Nguyen battle UC Irvine’s senior Franziska Goettsching in a third-set tiebreaker.
The No. 5 Bruins had already clinched the win over the No. 38 Anteaters, but the players cheered on Van Nguyen as if the team’s victory was dependent on the outcome of the set.
“Right when their match is over, it’s all about the team,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “It’s nice to have them out there. I’m sure Chanelle appreciates it. I know that the players like having their teammates watch them and have that extra support.”
With her teammates’ support, Van Nguyen won the tiebreaker and capped off a 7-0 victory.
The early afternoon matinee was the second in two days for the Bruins, who defeated Loyola Marymount University 7-0 on Wednesday.
The team got off to a fast lead against the Anteaters in doubles, as the Bruins dropped only one game between the two matches that won them the doubles point.
The matches slowed down, however, once the rain started to fall during singles matches.
“The ball goes slower (when it is raining) and I like to hit the ball hard, so it really slowed down my game,” said junior Robin Anderson.
The slower pace did not affect the No. 1 singles player too much, as Anderson did not drop a game on her way to a win.
“She’s playing some high-quality tennis and actually maintaining it throughout her whole match and it shows in her scores,” Sampras Webster said.
The Bruins controlled the other four matches, with the standout being sophomore Kyle McPhillips. She battled back after being down in both sets to claim the point that clinched the victory for UCLA.
“Tennis is an up-and-down sport, so you just have to stay mentally tough, whether you’re up or down,” McPhillips said. “I just tried to stay composed and it paid off.”
The team now has a week off, which it will use to rest and get healthy, before it resumes play in Virginia at the National Team Indoors Championship next weekend.
In the meantime, the Bruins will also work on doubles and third-set tiebreaker situations, so that they are prepared if a tiebreaker situation arises in the tournament.
“(We have to make) sure that they know how to go about how to not freak out,” Sampras Webster said. “There’s going to be a lot of anxiety, I’m sure, on both sides, because of the importance of each point. So hopefully, we play a lot of tiebreakers next week … and get them feeling good.”