Winner take all.
UCLA women’s tennis came down to the last singles court for the third consecutive match. And like the previous two times, the Bruins (13-8, 7-4 Pac-12) fell short, losing 4-3 to the Oregon Ducks (14-9, 7-4) in the quarterfinal of the Pac-12 championship Thursday afternoon.
Sophomore Gabby Andrews was twice up a break in the deciding third set – serving up 3-1 and 4-2 – but she was broken each time.
With the set tied at five games apiece, Andrews was broken on deuce point, and Oregon’s Daniela Nasser saved two break points to clinch a spot in the semifinal for the Ducks.
Fourth-seeded UCLA also dropped the doubles point for the first time in 12 matches, as the No. 79-ranked team of freshman Ena Shibahara and junior Kristin Wiley lost its first match this season.
After No. 28-ranked redshirt freshman Jada Hart and junior Terri Fleming won 6-3 at court one, the No. 59 duo of Andrews and sophomore Alaina Miller lost the decider 6-3 on court two.
None of the six singles courts featured rematches of UCLA’s win in March, as each team took three first sets, but Shibahara, who dropped hers to Alyssa Tobita, came back to win UCLA’s first point 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Hart followed with a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory over Nia Rose, and Wiley defeated Marlou Kluiving – who was serving underhand by match point – 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The other three-set matches were not as kind to UCLA.
After Miller fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to Julia Eshet, Fleming and Andrews were the last two Bruins playing.
Fleming was broken serving down 3-4 in the third, and the Ducks’ Shweta Sangwan served out the set to tie the dual match at three apiece. That left the match down to Andrews, who couldn’t capitalize and cement a date with No. 1-seeded Stanford on Friday.
The Bruins will now have to wait until the NCAA selection show May 2 to find out where they will be playing in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, UCLA lost to then-No. 4 Ohio State in the Round of 32.