This time last year, then-freshman Kyle McPhillips of the UCLA women’s tennis team celebrated winning the Pac-12 championship singles title at her first college tennis tournament.
Today, McPhillips will be returning to Ojai, Calif. to take on the Pac-12 championship for the second time in two years. Traveling with her will be six singles players and one doubles team from UCLA, comprised of freshmen Jennifer Brady and Kelly Shaffer, junior Chanelle Van Nguyen and seniors Courtney Dolehide and Morgan Thomas.
Because players represent themselves in this championship and are playing only for their own rankings and not that of UCLA, the players themselves are able to choose whether to play singles, doubles or not attend at all. For some players, like No. 2 junior Robin Anderson, this weekend means a break from matches and a chance to rest before the NCAA championships.
“It’s all about them, and it’s what they want to do,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “They’re playing for themselves out there, obviously representing UCLA, but it’s all about their individual rankings.”
For players like McPhillips and Brady though, this is no different from their middle school and high school tennis careers. These Bruins traveled internationally, playing individual tournaments not as part of a team, so though they will not have the support of their entire team backing them in Ojai, they see it as no major adjustment.
“We’re all individual players who all grew up playing individual tournaments, so we’re used to this kind of environment,” McPhillips said. “It’s not that much of a crazy change for us.”
The No. 2 Bruins, coming off three consecutive wins with a 9-1 record in the Pac-12, plan to use this weekend to prepare for the NCAA championships in Athens, Ga. starting May 9. This weekend also gives the players the opportunity to face off against opponents they haven’t yet played this year and to gain information for themselves on what works and what doesn’t heading into May. In Dolehide’s case, this means trying her hand at singles for one of the first times this season.
“They’ve played a lot and they feel healthy, both mentally and physically, so this (is an) opportunity for them to get some really strong matches with players they normally would not play in our conference,” Sampras Webster said.
The championships in Ojai culminate in both singles and doubles televised matches on Sunday. The Bruins can then take a nearly two week breather before heading down to Georgia for the NCAA championships.
“This weekend is a lot different than a dual match, but it’s still just a match,” Brady said. “We are really using this weekend to prepare for the NCAAs.”