The Bruins took all six first sets in singles en route to a sweep over the Lumberjacks.
No. 7 UCLA women’s tennis (19-7, 8-2 Pac-12) whitewashed Northern Arizona (15-9, 9-1 Big Sky) in the first round of the NCAA championships Saturday afternoon to set up a second round encounter against LSU (17-11, 5-8 SEC).
The Bruins dropped only one set in doubles and singles play combined – on court two in doubles play where No. 11 duo of freshman Elysia Bolton and redshirt junior Jada Hart fell 6-1.
“Unfortunately, Elysia (Bolton) and I ran into a team that was playing super aggressive and there wasn’t a lot we could do,” Hart said. “Incorporating more lobbing, increase our first serve percentage and changing the pace will help us for tomorrow.”
UCLA’s 13-game doubles point winning streak seemed to be in danger when the No. 5 senior combination of Gabby Andrews and Ayan Broomfield squandered a set point at 5-4 on court one after the Bruins and Lumberjacks split doubles on courts two and three.
“They definitely came out hitting and playing really well,” Broomfield said. “Lots of energy. When it came down to Gabby (Andrews) and I, we had to pull through. They came back a bit so we just had to fight and we got through it.”
The senior duo broke right back and held their serve to secure the doubles point with a 7-5 victory.
Senior Alaina Miller dealt the first blow in singles prevailing 6-4, 6-1 win on court four.
No. 45 Hart was down 3-1 in the first set against Northern Arizona’s Chiara Tomasetti on court in singles. Hart did not drop a single game for the rest of the match putting the Bruins up 3-0 via a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.
Moments later, Broomfield, with a heavily taped right knee, sent the Bruins through to a second round showdown against the Tigers with a 6-1, 6-3 win. It was the Clemson transfer’s second clinching victory in three matches.
“My knee’s not great; it’s not 100%,” Broomfield said. “But it’s the last couple matches of my senior year. I’ll do what I can to help us move forward. It was good to wrap it up quickly and get ready for tomorrow.”
LSU has lost five of its last eight matches. They sport two top-100 players in their singles lineup.
“This is single elimination,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “If we’re not successful and don’t get those four points then we’re done for the season so that’s always on the back of everyone’s mind. There’s a lot of noise. Lots of distractions. It’s important that we stay in our bubble.”
The Bruins will be back in action 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center against the Tigers.