If there was one match that UCLA women’s tennis coach Stella Sampras Webster wanted the underclassmen to focus on Thursday afternoon, it was on court one.
Senior Catherine Harrison and Pepperdine’s Luisa Stefani were locked in a heated battle in the tiebreaker of the second set. Neither of the two top-20 ranked singles players would give in to her opponent’s game. Spectacular forehands hit down the line were countered with backhand slices and lob shots just out of each other’s reach.
Stefani eventually defeated Harrison 4-6, 7-6 (10-8) in the marathon match, completing No. 15 Pepperdine’s (5-1) 6-1 drubbing of No. 22 UCLA (5-2).
Despite the fact that Harrison’s defeat concluded the Bruins’ mediocre performance, Sampras Webster used the senior’s match to prove a point about intensity.
“It’s great to see her play (No. 1) for us, it’s impressive, and I want the team to know that that’s what it takes. I just hope they understand that,” Sampras Webster said. “That is the level that we want to see from everyone. They are all capable.”
The Bruins had many opportunities to snatch the momentum away from the Waves, especially in the doubles point. Sophomore Kristin Wiley and freshman Alaina Miller recovered from a 2-4 deficit to force a tiebreaker, but ultimately lost as a result of unforced errors created by Pepperdine’s shot precision in the backcourt.
The Waves would go on to clinch the doubles point and easily roll through three singles matches on courts three, five and six to clinch the victory.
The lone bright spot for the Bruins, other than Harrison’s valiant effort, was the Bruins’ other senior – Kyle McPhillips – who defeated sophomore Laura Gulbe 6-3, 2-6 (10-6).
“My seniors are stepping up,” Sampras Webster said. “They’ve been through this and have done a great job of taking care of their matches.”
Pepperdine did not allow UCLA to convert on deuce points throughout the course of the match; instead, the Waves dominated the Bruins on all ends of the court.
“I was up in a lot of the games and it came down to deuce points,” Wiley said. “I didn’t play bad, I could’ve won the second set 6-1, but it is just something I have to work on, closing and converting the big points.”
The Waves were the first of four top-30 teams the Bruins will face in the coming weeks. Players know they will have to improve to contend against the best in the nation, especially this Saturday, when they host No. 1 California.
“Pepperdine is a good team, but Cal is number one, so we need to be better in all aspects, but I believe have the ability to beat them,”said sophomore Terri Fleming. “If everything comes together like it should, we’ll get a few matches. All we need is four.”