It has been four years and two months since Kyle McPhillips and Catherine Harrison stepped on the courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center for their first dual match as members of the women’s tennis team. It’s been 1,180 days since that moment – they debuted on January 26, 2012 – and now the two will play the final home match of their college careers.
This weekend’s contests against Arizona State (15-4, 6-1 Pac-12) and Arizona (12-9, 1-6 Pac-12) will mark the end of an era, but the two seniors leave a respected legacy behind.
“They have done it all,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “They won a doubles title, they are both Pac-12 singles winners and they won a team championship. I am really happy with what they’ve done here and how they have represented the program.”
Throughout their collegiate careers, McPhillips and Harrison have prospered in both singles and doubles. Harrison – currently ranked No. 15 in the nation in singles – has compiled 69 singles victories in dual matches during her tenure, while McPhillips has collected 58 wins. As a doubles pair, the two seniors have accumulated a 78-16 record overall and are ranked No. 5 in the latest national polls.
Only Robin Anderson – two-time Pac-12 player of the year – owns more singles wins in dual matches at UCLA than Harrison since 2005. McPhillips ranks fifth in the category, behind Anderson, Harrison, Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack.
The two four-year starters have proven themselves as distinguished tennis players on the court, but what the team will miss most next season cannot be found on paper.
“We will all miss their leadership,” said sophomore Kristin Wiley. “They were a huge part of our team this year.”
The Bruins have not lost a match on senior night since 2013. But the two Arizona programs will be eager to register an upset for their own reasons. Arizona State is looking to enter the conversation of teams hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament while Arizona is trying to cement its spot in this year’s field of 64.
UCLA is aware of the importance of the two matches, as the team is in a do-or-die situation to receive one of the top 16 seeds in the national tournament. Each of the highest 16 seeds are given the advantage of hosting the first two rounds of the tournament.
The doubles point continues to be the main focus for the squad, much like it has been throughout the first three months of the season.
“Doubles is very important for us this weekend,” Harrison said. “We’ve overcome losing the doubles points multiple times this season but at the same time it would really help, because both Arizona teams could take the doubles point and kind of roll with it.”
McPhillips and Harrison are not the only players to be recognized this weekend.
The team’s third senior, Laura Luca, has shown a deep commitment to UCLA to obtain her current position on the team.
The Romanian native spent three years on the UCLA Club Tennis team before joining the collegiate program in January as a walk-on. She has represented the Bruins primarily on court six.
In a year filled with lingering injuries, Luca has been one of the few players who has been durable throughout the entire season. She has been a reliable addition to an inexperienced team consisting of five sophomores and two freshmen.
“I have a lot of respect for Laura,” Sampras Webster said. “She got into UCLA on her own academically and has worked so hard to get where she is now.”