Weekend Predictions: May 16-18

Every Friday, The Bruin Sports section will predict the outcome of the weekend’s top three UCLA sporting events.

Men’s tennis: NCAA Round of 16: UCLA v. Tennessee (Friday, 4 p.m.)

All season long, strong singles play has carried the Bruins. Now, with the return of senior Adrien Puget, the team’s once-shaky doubles play seems to have turned the corner. Expect UCLA, whose No. 1 and No. 2 singles players are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally, to move past Tennessee into the Elite Eight.

Women’s tennis: NCAA Elite Eight: UCLA v. Duke (Saturday, 1 p.m.)

After a win over No. 12 seed Miami, UCLA moves on to a rematch with Duke, who handed the Bruins a bitter 4-3 defeat earlier this season. Look for the Bruins to avoid a repetition of the past and walk past the Blue Devils 4-2 into the Final Four.

Softball: NCAA Regionals (Friday through Sunday)

After capping one of the best seasons in school history, UCLA was rewarded with a region featuring one team (Southern Utah) with a losing record, one team (Long Beach State) that it has already defeated and only one other team (No. 19 Notre Dame) that is ranked. It’ll be a monumental surprise if the Bruins aren’t the team to advance this weekend.

2014 prediction record to date: 10-14

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