The UCLA women’s tennis team is in the midst of a mid-season win streak, with four straight dual match victories since an unexpected loss to Fresno State.
The No. 22 Bruins (5-1) will test their mettle against a pair of teams on their own hot streaks this week, starting with the No. 15 Pepperdine Waves (4-1) Thursday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The No. 1 California Golden Bears (6-0) travel south to Westwood on Saturday with their undefeated record in tow.
UCLA will be facing familiar faces over the weekend. Many players played their upcoming opponents in recent matchups.
Senior Catherine Harrison, the No. 18 singles player in the nation, went up against No. 6 Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine in past matches but not No. 13 Maegan Manasse of Cal.
“I lost to (Stefani) 7-6, 6-4 in the finals of regionals this fall, it’s a good opportunity … for me because I’ll be playing two (top-ranked) girls,” Harrison said.
Fellow senior Kyle McPhillips is familiar with Cal’s No. 5 player Klara Fabikova – her expected draw Saturday.
“I know her game, she knows mine, and we’re both on equal footing,” McPhillips said. “She’s a power player, so I’m going to try to dictate (the play).”
Freshman Alaina Miller said her preparation this weekend was focused around her serving and doubles game.
“We’ve been doing a lot of serving, so we can start off the point well,” said Miller. “If our volleys are strong (it benefits us because) whoever’s volleys are stronger usually win the (doubles) match.”
The team continues to fight the injury bug as junior Kelly Shaffer continues to rehab her hip and sophomore Terri Fleming fights through a slight re-aggravation of the foot injury she suffered last season.