UCLA women’s tennis has found itself in an unfamiliar spot as of late, losing twice in one weekend after only losing three times all last year. The Bruins will hit the road this weekend to try and bounce back in its matches against the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils.
UCLA’s losses to Stanford and California dropped it to 4-2 and fifth place in the Pac-12. To add to the Bruins’ woes, sophomore Chanelle Van Nguyen was forced to pull out of the match against the Cardinal because of a sprained ankle.
UCLA was close in both matches, but defeats in the doubles portion of the matches allowed Stanford and Cal to edge the Bruins 4-3. Coach Stella Sampras Webster cited doubles play as a problem for the Bruins and said she has decided to make some changes to the pairings to improve their level of play.
“We have made some changes with some different teams,” Sampras Webster said. “I am hoping that will make a difference in the way they compete together and hopefully perform.”
One of the new teams that Sampras Webster will reveal at this weekend’s matches in Arizona is freshman Catherine Harrison and senior Pamela Montez. Harrison was previously paired up with freshman Kyle McPhillips, while Montez was paired with junior Courtney Dolehide.
Despite playing with McPhillips for most of the year, Harrison said she is excited to be playing with a new partner.
“I am with Pam now, our senior,” Harrison said. “I like it. She is really experienced and really good at the net.”
One of the bright spots for the Bruins last weekend was sophomore Kaitlin Ray’s play. After not playing for most of the season because of an injury, Ray stepped into Van Nguyen’s spot when she went down with her injury and had a very successful time of it, winning her singles match 6-4, 6-2 against California.
With Van Nguyen still out this week, Ray will again be in the lineup for Sampras Webster and feels excited for her chance to play in the matches against Arizona and ASU.
“There is no other feeling like going out with five other girls and competing in a dual match,” Ray said. “I have waited a long time and I can’t wait to get back out there with the girls.”