After hours of grueling and physical play between rivals UCLA and USC, the spotlight shone on senior Chanelle Van Nguyen.
Even with cameras following her and fans watching her every step, the veteran player paid them no attention. Her eyes were directed at her Trojan rival, the only person standing between the Bruins and another team win.
Throughout her four years at UCLA, Van Nguyen has helped the Bruins achieve a 91-14 record, a national indoor title and a national championship with a combination of tenacious play on the court and vocal support for her teammates and closest friends.
Van Nguyen’s journey didn’t begin with her teammates – it began all the way back in 1998. Her parents were inspired by a Diane Sawyer interview about an up-and-coming tennis player and handed their only child a racket, urging her onto a court.
After a couple of swings, five-year-old Van Nguyen didn’t need any more encouragement.
“I needed an activity for this super active and intelligent child,” said Van Nguyen’s mother, Letty Van Nguyen. “But I wanted something that could contribute to her development, and tennis did that for her.”
Although tennis started as a summer pastime for Chanelle Van Nguyen, it quickly grew into a year-round focus. As she won more tournaments, Van Nguyen enrolled in a K-12 international academy program to concentrate on elevating her training.
After surging to the No. 1 ranking in her 10-and-under age group, Van Nguyen earned a spot at the prestigious United States Tennis Association Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., pitting her against some of the fiercest and most talented competition in the country.
With her game rapidly improving, Van Nguyen had the opportunity to compete internationally in both Europe and South America. However, the global tournament schedule was hectic, and the young Van Nguyen often turned to her family for support.
“Everyone was there for her,” Letty Van Nguyen said. “Her grandma, her aunt, her dad, me – we all wanted to contribute and help her.”
After years of relying on her family support system, Chanelle Van Nguyen had to leave them behind to embark on her college career at UCLA. The Florida native received a culture shock when she landed in fast-paced Los Angeles, nearly 2,800 miles away.
“She came in sheltered like most tennis players,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “But she’s become a sweet, caring and independent person with a really disciplined and amazing work ethic – on and off the court.”
After a junior career centered around herself, Van Nguyen had to adapt to a college climate that emphasized more than individual achievement. With the Bruins, she no longer competed for herself. She played for something more.
“From juniors to college, it’s less about you,” Van Nguyen said. “You have to put others before yourself sometimes, because you’re playing for your school and your teammates and your coaches, and more than anything, you want to win for them.”
Even as Van Nguyen adjusted to being a team player, she never lost her penchant for the spotlight or for big moments.
After hearing the coaches mention how she loves the attention, Van Nguyen quipped, “It’s probably because I’m an only child.”
Despite the lighthearted teasing, the coaches say that no one is more reliable in big matches.
“She plays her best tennis in front of a big crowd,” Sampras Webster said. “She gets up at the highest level for those moments. No one embraces the pressure of winning like Chanelle does.”
On many occasions over the past four years – when the Bruins have been in need of a key player – Van Nguyen delivered, from overcoming cramps in a 4-3 slugfest against rival USC to leveling the score against an upset-hungry North Carolina team in the NCAA championship match last year. As her career at UCLA gives way to a potential professional career, Van Nguyen has repeatedly shown what she’s made of.
Leaving the team will be a player who brought out grit, toughness and heart when it mattered most.