The two freshmen were embroiled in a battle.
But once their match was over, UCLA’s Terri Fleming and Marshall University’s Marija Bogicevic went from trading tennis strokes to trading stories as they stood on the sidelines that skirt the edges of court five in the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
“I knew she was from another country, so I was asking her where she was from, asking her how she liked school,” Fleming said. “I’m new too, so I just wanted to know everyone’s experiences. It’s good to get advice.”
It was a successful first outing for No. 1 UCLA as it opened the 2015 season at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with two wins and a qualifying berth for the ITA Division I National Women’s Team Indoor Championship.
Behind the two 4-0 sweeps of Marshall (1-2) on Saturday and Kansas State University (2-1) on Sunday was a chance to deploy the new weapons that the Bruins (2-0) have acquired since winning the NCAA championship in May.
“We have the same exact team as last year plus five more freshmen,” said senior Chanelle Van Nguyen. “We’re going to try to do the same thing last year, but even better.”
In the season opener against the Thundering Herd, it was Fleming and fellow freshman Kristin Wiley who got their first chance to represent the Bruins in a tennis match.
“I was a little bit nervous because I recently hurt my knee some, so I just wanted to go out there and have fun,” Fleming said. “But I was just excited to play, you know, just be out there on the court – first match as a freshman.”
Her eagerness to get on the court translated into a quick 6-0, 6-0 victory in her collegiate debut. Fleming followed up her Saturday match with 6-1 doubles and 6-1, 6-1 singles victories over her Kansas State opponents on Sunday.
Wiley’s debut, on the other hand, featured a 4-2 doubles lead with Van Nguyen against Marshall and a 6-4, 2-1 lead in her singles debut against Kansas Sate before both matches were abandoned after the Bruins clinched the doubles point and meet respectively.
“I like the pressure,” Wiley said. “With every match, it’s just more and more experience, so it can only get better.”
Even though the 2015 season is officially in full swing, one question still remains unanswered for the Bruins: Who will fill the role of the third doubles spot next to Van Nguyen? Coach Stella Sampras Webster said the ITA Kick-Off Weekend might have provided some hints to that answer.
“Every match that we see them play, it’s information. We’ve got two really good freshmen that may fill that spot,” Sampras Webster said. “Hopefully, by team indoors we’ll have a good combination, but again, we can always switch it up. It could be something that evolves over time.”