Senior Catherine Harrison knew that she was in for an arduous match when she saw that her opponent was Arizona State’s Desirae Krawczyk. The pair last faced off in January at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic when No. 23 Krawczyk edged No. 15 Harrison 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
“(Krawczyk)’s left-handed which is something I’m not used to,” Harrison said. “I didn’t play well overall but I’m really proud of myself for grinding.”
This time around, Harrison’s match was a back-and-forth affair, as the pair traded games from 2-1, to 3-2, to 4-3, to 5-4 and so on. She ultimately took the match 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4.
The inclement weather did no favors for either side – the six-hour rain delay affected the players’ preparation and led to singles being played first. Players were not sure when to eat or when exactly they were to take the court, causing some uneasiness.
The No. 23 (14-5) Bruins started off slowly, dropping the first set in all the singles matches against the No. 26 (16-4) Sun Devils.
After singles play, the score was knotted at 3-3 – leaving the doubles point to decide the winner. The Sun Devils ultimately took the point and the match with victories on courts one and two.
“(Senior Kyle McPhillips) and I were so exhausted by the time doubles came around,” Harrison said. “I missed three easy volleys and she double-faulted in her first service game.”
Though the final score of 4-3 was a disappointing loss for the squad against a conference opponent, players felt that they had played great games; missed chances and poor serving ultimately did them in.
Fresh start Sunday
It was a fresh beginning for the squad Sunday as they took on the No. 66 (12-10) Arizona Wildcats on senior day. UCLA started off strong with a quick victory on courts one and two to take the doubles point.
“(Sophomore Terri Fleming) does most of the network while I handle the baseline play,” freshman Alaina Miller said as the pair beat Arizona’s Devin Chypyha and Inge Hendrikx 6-4.
Singles play shone as well as No. 15 Harrison, Miller, Fleming and sophomore Kristin Wiley all won in straight sets. Harrison and Miller were more aggressive with their serves, allowing them to play riskier shots off their opponents’ serves and have success.
Coach Stella Sampras Webster said she was pleased with the team’s spirited play in light of the rough weather. She thought that the weekend’s high quality of play was indicative of the level of competition the team would be exposed to in the coming weeks.
An unfortunate consequence of the team’s loss to the Sun Devils on Friday is that for the first time in recent memory, UCLA will most likely not host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in May.
“We will be ready to go on the road,” Sampras Webster said. “There are a lot more distractions to get used to on the road, but the team is used to preparing for that.”
With solid performances from several of her graduating seniors, Sampras Webster was very proud of their years in the program.
“As people, (Harrison and McPhillips) have been big leaders for the younger players,” said Sampras Webster. “They’ve won a team championship, doubles title, singles title and I’m sure they’re ready to move on and do great things outside of UCLA.”
The team next heads across town to take on USC to wrap up the regular season Sunday.
Email Ayyalasomayajula at iayyalasomayajula@media.ucla.edu.