The beginning of Tuesday’s match against Fresno State felt like deja vu for the women’s tennis team.
Just as they did in their early season loss to the Bulldogs in January, the Bruins ceded the doubles point by falling on courts two and three. But this time UCLA did not allow Fresno State to take advantage of the momentum heading into singles play.
After a quick defeat on court six, the Bruins won the final five singles matches to clinch a 5-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
In its last match against No. 20 Stanford, No. 32 UCLA (10-4, 2-1 Pac-12) struggled in the first set in each singles match. This was not the case against No. 38 Fresno State (10-7), as the team claimed four of the six first sets.
UCLA continued to dominate in each match, as all but one of the Bruins’ victories against the Bulldogs were decided in straight sets.
With just seven matches left before the Pac-12 championships, UCLA may need to win the rest of its matches to receive one of the higher seeds in the NCAA Tournament and a chance to host the first two rounds at home. The team has shifted in and out of the nation’s top-25 teams throughout the majority of the season but has just one match left against a higher-ranked team in the ITA national rankings, undefeated No. 1 Cal.
Before the postseason begins, the Bruins must first focus on their final six regular-season matches, all of which come against conference foes.
UCLA’s next contest is Saturday when No. 35 Oregon (11-3, 3-1) visits the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins have dominated the Ducks since the turn of the century, winning every matchup since 2000.