Few things in life are certain ““ death, birthdays and taxes being the obvious ones ““ but another can safely be added to the list: blowout wins for the UCLA women’s tennis team over hapless Loyola Marymount.
The No. 5 Bruins blanked the Lions by a 7-0 scoreline for the second consecutive year.
The Bruins have won each of the teams’ encounters by at least five points dating back to 1997.
UCLA swept the doubles point with relative ease and breezed through singles play while dropping a total of one set.
“Our focus was to really use this match to keep improving,” coach Stella Sampras-Webster said. “Keeping focus is the biggest thing, it’s easy to lose your focus against a team like this where you feel like you can (win easily).”
Senior Andrea Remynse was once again quick off the blocks for the Bruins (2-0), shutting out junior Elisaveta Pironkova 6-0, 6-0 in timely fashion.
Remynse has yet to concede a game in singles this season and was thankful for the chance to use the match as a warm-up for the grind of the Pac-10 season.
“Individually, I feel really confident,” Remynse said.
“We need match play. It doesn’t compare to practice. We can play against each other all day in practice, but there’s no pressure in practice.
Whoever we’re playing, there’s pressure, and that helps.”
Freshman Courtney Dolehide, Remynse’s doubles partner, was able to shake off the first-game jitters that she exhibited last week when playing against Saint Mary’s and come away with wins in doubles and singles against the Lions (0-2).
“I wasn’t really expecting the first match to be how it was for me,” Dolehide said.
“But the coaches and the team helped me through that for this week, and I think I came out a lot more confident.”
Junior transfer McCall Jones continued her strong run of play at the No. 1 position with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over sophomore April Bisharat and paired with junior Nina Pantic at the No. 3 doubles position for a quick 8-2 win that clinched the doubles point for the Bruins.
Also victorious were sophomore Pamela Montez, junior Carling Seguso and Pantic.
Montez and Pantic posted straight-set victories on courts No. 4 and 6, respectively, and Seguso came back from an early one-set hole to beat freshman Miya Jin 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3).
Seguso and Montez also teamed up to secure UCLA’s first doubles victory of the day on court No. 2.