The Bruins may have been eliminated from team competition, but individual players are still squaring off in Orlando, Florida.
UCLA women’s tennis (21-8, 8-2 Pac-12) saw its season come to an end after falling to North Carolina, but four Bruins still travelled to Florida to participate in the NCAA doubles and singles championships.
In the first round of doubles, freshman Elysia Bolton and redshirt junior Jada Hart faced off against Tennessee’s Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines. The Bruins defeated the pair in a 7-6, 6-1 victory to advance to the second round of the competition.
Hart and Bolton’s run came to an end in the round of 16, as they fell 6-2, 7-6 to Michigan’s Kate Fahey and Brienne Minor.
Bolton also competed in the singles bracket and recorded a 6-1, 6-3 win over Florida’s McCartney Kessler in the first round. Bolton later carded a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Texas’ Anna Turati to advance to the round of 16.
Bolton did not advance any further, as she fell to North Carolina’s Cameron Morra in three sets.
Hart also participated in the singles draw. Hart defeated Duke’s Meible Chi 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of play. She replicated her success in the next round, beating Stanford’s Michaela Gordon 6-4, 6-1 to earn a berth in the round of 16.
After defeating Oklahoma State’s Katarina Stresnakova, Hart’s run came to an end in the quarterfinals, falling to Georgia’s Katarina Jokic 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Hart was the last Bruin to be eliminated in the singles bracket.
Seniors Ayan Broomfield and Gabby Andrews are the only two UCLA players left in competition. The pair won its first match of the tournament by notching a 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 victory over Florida’s Victoria Emma and McCartney Kessler.
The two faced off against Broomfield’s former school Clemson in the second round. The Bruins tallied a 7-6, 7-6 victory against Clemson’s Marie Leduc and Fernanda Navarro. The team’s win earned it a berth in the quarterfinals of the competition. In the quarterfinals Broomfield and Andrews defeated North Carolina’s Makenna Jones and Cameron Morra 4-6, 6-1, 10-7.
UCLA had participants advance to the quarterfinals in each bracket – the first time the Bruins have accomplished this feat since 2008.
Broomfield and Andrews will play for a spot in the finals Friday.