It was a quiet Monday morning on the tennis courts, according to coach Stella Sampras Webster.
But the silence didn’t do UCLA women’s tennis much justice, considering the team claimed both the singles and doubles titles at the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships – a cause for celebration.
In bouts of “high-level” tennis, even in the preseason, competition can be tough. UCLA faced strong teams such as USC and Pepperdine throughout the tournament.
But the strength of the competition did little to faze the Bruins. Doubles partners sophomore Catherine Harrison and freshman Jennifer Brady defeated USC’s Brynn Boren and Zoe Katz 8-2 to win the doubles title.
The pair had previously defeated USC’s defending NCAA doubles champions senior Kaitlyn Christian and junior Sabrina Santamaria in Sunday’s semifinals.
“I think we went out there really focused and strong, and I didn’t really know what the outcome would be,” Harrison said. “I knew (our opponent) would be really good.”
After besting their opponents, Brady continued onto the singles final against her own teammate, junior Chanelle Van Nguyen. Van Nguyen claimed the victory in this round, defeating Brady 6-4, 6-2 and claiming the singles title.
Brady said, however, that she didn’t treat the competition of her own teammates any differently than she would have for another team. The player treated the loss to Van Nguyen as more of a learning experience.
“(The game is) about the same, whether it’s your teammate or not,” Brady said.
Other than having to readjust to the new year, whether it be in new doubles partners or in new, fresh competition, the team can ease into a strong start in the preseason.
“It’s always kind of nice to see the freshmen, what new players each school has, what we’re going to be playing during the season,” Sampras Webster said. “We try to get them to feel good about their game and get them ready to compete.”