When the No. 15 UCLA women’s tennis team took the court against Hawai’i on Friday afternoon, it made sure not to waste any time in getting the season off to a positive start.
The Bruins (1-0) quickly handed the Rainbow Wahine their second loss in two matches. The Bruins won all their singles and doubles matches, posting a 7-0 victory.
“I think it was a really good opportunity for us to start off the season, and we all really took it to them,” junior Tracy Lin said.
UCLA played without junior Riza Zalameda and freshman Yasmin Schnack, who are expected to play near the top of the roster when they do play. However, the Bruins who did compete were able to step up and get victories at their new positions.
Lin was put in the top singles spot in place of her two teammates and found great success, clinching the victory with the fourth overall point to beat Kana Aikawa in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
“I was a little nervous at first, but it was a good experience for me and I really enjoyed it,” she said of playing at the top position.
Lin was not the only Bruin to go without losing a set. Straight-set victories seemed to be the theme of the match, with each member of the team capturing victories in dominating fashion.
For one Bruin, though, the dual match experience was a new one. Stephanie Wetmore, the lone freshman to compete for UCLA against Hawai’i, got a sense of the atmosphere surrounding the Los Angeles Tennis Center in her first team match experience since arriving in Westwood.
“I knew that I’d experience it but I never really knew what the experience would be like until I got out there and played,” Wetmore said. “I could practice as much as I want, but nothing really replicates the feeling that I got.”
Wetmore was teamed with sophomore Anna-Viktoria Lind in doubles play. The duo clinched the Bruins’ first point of the match, beating Samantha Cappella and Florence Wasko, 8-1.
The freshman then went on to play Wasko at the No. 6 singles position. She began the match with a sense of nervousness, but as the match went on, Wetmore realized one of the key differences between playing a dual match and competing in junior tournaments prior to attending UCLA.
“People that I don’t even know were cheering for me, and it gave me the feeling that I was playing for so much more than just myself,” she said after the match.
Though the Bruins were able to pick apart the Rainbow Wahine, UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster is well aware that each upcoming match will only become more difficult and grueling for her team, especially once the conference season starts up.
“I’m sure every match we play will get tougher and tougher,” Sampras Webster said.
UCLA now awaits a matchup against Cal Poly on Tuesday before heading to the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors in Madison, Wis., where the Bruins will butt heads with some of the top teams in the nation.
“We were all a little nervous going into the first match but I feel like it gave us a confidence booster, especially before going into Wisconsin,” Lin said.