Abi Altick may be a freshman, but she is not afraid to fight for her spot in the women’s tennis lineup.
“She’ll bring out a little bit of a feistiness when she needs it,” said junior Ayan Broomfield. “She doesn’t bring it out all the time, but when it’s out you have to watch out.”
Coach Stella Sampras Webster said that the freshman’s intensity is what drives her to work hard at bettering her game.
“She’s very committed to making her game better and we love that about her – that she’s not going to take shortcuts,” Sampras Webster said. “All the work that she’s put in at practice and with fitness, it’s great to see her make some jumps in her game.”
Since moving from Monroe, Louisiana, to join the No. 15 UCLA women’s tennis team, Altick has steadily worked her way into a constant presence in the Bruins’ lineup
“She had a great reputation in the junior world and a lot of the girls on our current team knew her, so we had an eye on her,” Sampras Webster said. “She’s the perfect fit for this program because she raises everyone else’s level because of her intensity and work ethic.”
Broomfield transferred to UCLA from Clemson to join the team, rounding out the roster’s three additions. Broomfield said she and Altick have been a team of newcomers since day one, both relying on their work ethic and focus to acclimate.
However, Broomfield also noted that they were in different positions because Altick was playing her first collegiate season. The junior was impressed with the way her younger teammate adapted.
“Maybe (in) another sport the freshmen are really there to develop, but (Altick)’s played a lot,” Broomfield said. “There’s not a lot of freshman nerves or anything; she’s just ready to go. She’s played before, she’s hit a lot of balls – so she stepped up.”
Since the first singles rankings were released in the fall, Altick has only been outside of the top-50 players once. She now boasts an 11-2 singles record in dual matches, and has made her court three debut against Oklahoma State in March after rotating between courts four and five.
“It means a lot,” Altick said of her expanding role on the team. “I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity.”
Altick was not included in the doubles lineup early on, but has slowly inserted herself, working her way to a 6-3 record in dual matches including appearances in the previous eight matches.
“I think I’ve definitely improved throughout the matches just by gaining confidence,” Altick said.
Altick is a part of a young Bruin core, along with No. 16 sophomore Ena Shibahara and No. 37 redshirt sophomore Jada Hart who are the team’s top singles players.
“The future looks great for our program. That’s why we just want to keep building and making players better,” Sampras Webster said. “We’re excited to do well this year after improving from last year. But we want to continue to improve and get back to where we feel like this program should be.”