The UCLA women’s tennis team was on a bad path before Saturday.
It missed out on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoors two weeks ago after losing in the second round of ITA Kick-Off Weekend. They were routed 6-1 by No. 15 Pepperdine on Feb. 18. And after starting out No. 4 they dropped 25 spots in the national rankings since the start of the season just a month ago.
Playing No. 1 Cal was expected to be nothing more than a loss, solidifying UCLA’s fall from last year’s dominance. The Bruins did lose, but they weren’t blanked – rather, they fought and kept up with the Golden Bears. It was a 5-2 defeat, but it could have been a 4-3 victory.
This week’s match against USC (3-3), a nonconference dual match, is a chance for UCLA (5-3) to make a statement, and start pushing for a top-16 finish at the very least.
“It’s always fun playing USC,” said senior Kyle McPhillips. “It’s a historic rivalry and probably one of our most exciting matches. It’s the last time (I) play USC at home, so it’s going to be special and I’m hopefully going to enjoy it.”
USC is enduring parallel troubles of its own this season. It is also rebounding from a pair of consecutive losses, one at the hands of Cal and the other from No. 7 Florida. The Trojans have also dropped 27 spots in the national rankings since last week, and much like the Bruins, did not qualify for this year’s ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
The rivalry has been one-sided since the turn of the decade, as UCLA holds an 11-4 record against USC dating back to the 2010 season. But the Trojans have controlled the matchup on a larger scale, accumulating a record of 47-42 against the Bruins since 1977.
It will be one of the last times the current seniors take part in the rivalry, but for younger players like freshman Alaina Miller, it is only the beginning.
“I’m really excited and I’m definitely going to try and bring my best game,” Miller said. “I know everybody else is getting really excited, so that adds to my excitement as well.”
The Bruins’ practices this week have centered primarily on doubles play. The team has been anchored by strong play from seniors Catherine Harrison and McPhillips – the No. 5 doubles pair in the nation – on court one, but have had much less consistency on courts two and three. Pairs on courts two and three have a combined record of 6-8 in doubles matches this season.
A win in the doubles portion against USC would be a notable start in turning the trend around, as the Trojans sport the No. 8 doubles pairs in the nation.
“When we get the doubles point, it definitely sets the tone for the whole match,” Miller said. “When we play really well is when we are aggressive at the net, so I’ve been working on my volleys and practicing poaching drills.”
The young Bruins have a countless number of obstacles remaining before they can claim a top spot in the national rankings again. But if the team can remain focused and motivated, coach Stella Sampras Webster said she knows it can do well going forward.
“I really didn’t know how they were going to react after losing those two matches, but they are still very motivated and want to do really well against USC,” Sampras Webster said. “We just have to be flexible and always understand that we are going to control what we can control and not worry about the other things.”