Women’s tennis wins 34th straight match against Gauchos with 4-0 sweep

Thirty-four matches against the Gauchos – 34 wins for the Bruins.

No. 11 UCLA women’s tennis (11-3, 3-0 Pac-12) whitewashed UC Santa Barbara (7-6, 1-0) Wednesday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center to remain undefeated all-time against the Gauchos.

The first Bruin victory of the day came on the third doubles court as the No. 45 combination of senior Alaina Miller and sophomore Abi Altick soared to a 6-1 victory.

The No. 11 senior duo of Gabby Andrews and Ayan Broomfield secured the doubles point for UCLA with a 6-1 victory on the top doubles court. The duo moved to 15-6 on the season.

Broomfield, who has played at three and four in singles this season, was held out of the singles lineup.

The Bruins carried the momentum into singles, winning four of the six first sets.

Miller broke her two-game losing streak in singles by defeating Gaucho junior Juliana Valero 6-1, 6-3 on court four to put the Bruins two points ahead.

Shortly thereafter, freshman Taylor Johnson put UCLA at the brink of victory by winning against Lise Sentenac by an identical score line.

The encounter was clinched on first singles court as No. 56 redshirt junior Jada Hart defeated Elizaveta Volodko 6-2, 6-2. It was Hart’s first clinching win of the season.

The Bruins dropped only two sets in the entire match – one on third singles court and one on sixth singles court.

UCLA will next face No. 7 Stanford (12-1, 3-0) on Friday and No. 15 California (9-3, 3-0) on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Cardinal are riding a seven-game winning streak while the Bears on a five-game run.

Men’s volleyball swamped by Waves in Malibu 3-1, taking third consecutive loss

The Bruins no longer hold sole possession of first place in conference standings.

No. 5 UCLA men’s volleyball (16-7, 6-3 MPSF) fell to No. 4 Pepperdine (17-6, 6-3 MPSF) 3-1 on Wednesday night at the Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves hold the head-to-head advantage in the three-way tiebreaker between UCLA, Pepperdine and BYU atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings.

“Each guy kind of had their own thing going on,” said coach John Speraw. “I think the guys tried hard in different phases, they competed well. We just rolled out another lineup this year and we didn’t connect real well at certain places.”

The Bruins totaled four aces and six blocks and hit for .316 compared to the Waves’ seven aces, 10 blocks, and Bruin-opponent-high .485 hitting percentage. UCLA also posted 18 attacking errors compared Pepperdine’s nine.

Junior middle blocker Daenan Gyimah recorded eight kills, three blocks and one ace across the match. Gyimah said the Bruins’ loss was because of a poor overall performance.

“Just a bit of everything,” Gyimah said. We weren’t passing that well, our hitting was decent, but our lack of defense was definitely terrible.”

After tying the match at one set apiece, UCLA trailed in the third and fourth sets by as many as nine points. The Bruins hit for .103 and .286 in the third and fourth sets, respectively.

The Bruins have not won a match since junior outside hitter Austin Matautia suffered a season-ending leg injury.

“Honestly, probably the biggest reason is losing Austin Matautia,” Speraw said. “We got down to this threshold where we’ve been holding on without (senior outside hitter) Dylan Missry and getting a bunch of good wins. Then we lost (Matautia) and we just got over the threshold of being able to put enough guys on the floor with enough experience and skill to continue to win.”

After its losses to No. 10 Brigham Young (12-8, 6-3) and No. 6 Stanford (14-8, 2-1), UCLA has lost its last three road games and holds a 7-6 record on the road.

Senior setter Micah Ma’a – who posted a team-high 13 kills, two aces and a .286 hitting percentage – said the Bruins have to learn to perform better on the road.

“I think we’re a better team at home,” Ma’a said. “We need to figure out how to win on the road because we’re going to be playing a lot on the road if we keeping playing well.”

The Bruins will return home to face unranked Grand Canyon (12-12, 2-6) on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

Women’s basketball sizes up No. 2 UConn as Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup approaches

ALBANY, N.Y. — The Bruins have never beaten the Huskies in program history.

But over the years, a tradition was born.

“I do get a bottle of wine from (UConn coach Geno Auriemma) most of the time,” said coach Cori Close. “Last time we went there, he gave me a bottle of wine, and I returned the favor when they came to (Los Angeles).”

No. 6 seed UCLA (22-12, 12-6 Pac-12) will face No. 2 seed UConn (33-2, 16-0 AAC) for the fourth time in five years, but this year in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The Bruins upset No. 3 seed Maryland 85-80 to advance to its fourth consecutive regional semifinal Monday night.

“We will have to play our best basketball of the year to have a chance to win this game,” Close said. “But isn’t that what you want? You want to be in situations and competitive environments that demand your best.”

UConn has played in every Final Four since 2008.

“(Auriemma) is such a legendary coach,” said sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere. “What he’s done at UConn is unmatched.”

Auriemma has led the Huskies to 11 national championships and 19 Final Four appearances in his 34 years with the program. UCLA lost to UConn by an average of 23 points in their last three matchups, including a regular-season loss in 2018 and a Sweet 16 loss in 2017.

But the Huskies – who did not finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2014 – outlasted No. 10 seed Buffalo by just 12 on Sunday, which marked their narrowest second-round victory since 1999.

“(UConn is) a high-tempo, high-scoring team,” Onyenwere said. “That’s something we’re going to have to focus on within these next 24 hours, just how to contain everybody because they are scoring at all different type of ways.”

In UCLA’s win over Maryland in the second round, the Bruins were able to outrebound the Terrapins, including 27 offensive boards, which earned UCLA 12 more possessions on the game.

The Bruins shot just 36 percent from the field Monday, but Close said offensive rebounds are what allow the team to raise its confidence in its shooting because they’re able to have each others’ backs.

“Your shooting percentage goes up tremendously on an offensive rebound,” Close said. “Sometimes our best offense has been getting a decent first shot that’s a predictable shot (so) that we can go get a second opportunity.”

Offensive boards are also what gave UConn trouble in its game against Buffalo. The Huskies allowed 25 offensive rebounds and 13 more possessions, helping the Bulls close the gap in the fourth quarter.

“If we get the same amount of possessions that UConn does, we’ll lose,” Close said.

The winner of Friday night’s matchup will take on the winner of No. 1 seed Louisville and No. 4 seed Oregon State in the Elite Eight on Sunday. But whether UCLA or UConn moves on, both coaches have expressed their gratitude for one another.

“Going from an assistant to taking the UCLA job – that’s a big job,” Auriemma said. “A lot of young coaches that have done that kind of a move have not been successful, but she has. So I’m happy for her and proud of her.”

And Close said the same for Auriemma.

“I just have really appreciated the way they have opened up their doors,” Close said. “(They’ve) allowed our staff to fly back there to watch practice. I’ve gone back there two different times in addition to that. And you know, I do appreciate that he appreciates good wine as well, and it’s been a fun exchange.”

Organization files lawsuit against UCLA for not complying to public records request

This post was updated March 28 at 2:11 p.m.

A nonpartisan free speech organization filed a lawsuit Wednesday against UCLA because the university did not comply with a public records request filed last year in a timely manner.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education filed a public records request to UCLA in March 2018, but the university has extended the deadline to release the requested records five times, said Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon, FIRE’s director of litigation. The most recent estimated date of release was set at April 30, over a year since the initial request.

According to the California Public Records Act, state and local agencies – including UCLA – are legally required to make documents regarding business, administration and communication available upon request. There are exceptions to the law that prevent the release of private information, such as identification numbers and sensitive research.

The original request was made after Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin spoke on campus in February of last year. UCLA did not initially release the video of the speaking engagement with Mnuchin, saying it did not have permission from Mnuchin’s office to do so yet.

This prompted FIRE to file a public records request asking the university to release the video of the speaking engagement, as well as documents regarding the agreement between Mnuchin and UCLA for his speaking engagement on campus, and any communication between Mnuchin or his office and UCLA about the release of the video, Beck-Coon said.

UCLA released the video of the speaking engagement to the public a few days after the event. UCLA first gave FIRE on March 26 as an estimated date of release for the remaining records. On that date, UCLA gave a new estimated deadline, saying the university needed additional time to compile and review the requested documents before release.

Ricardo Vazquez, a UCLA spokesperson, said UCLA is aware of the lawsuit and is reviewing the allegations.

In December 2018, FIRE contacted Robert Baldridge, the manager of public records at UCLA, regarding the request.

“We reminded them of their obligation to produce records promptly, we reminded them of the history of our communication, and we said we don’t think they are fulfilling obligation to produce records promptly,” Beck-Coon said.

Baldridge or UCLA did not respond to this contact, Beck-Coon said.

Beck-Coon said FIRE filed the lawsuit not only to obtain the requested records but to make their expectations clear to UCLA as well.

“Our goal is to get the records that we requested and to make the point to both UCLA and schools across the country who we may request records from in the future that we are going to take the steps necessary to enforce our right to receive public records,” Beck-Coon said.

If the lawsuit is successful, UCLA will have to produce the records or show cause for why they cannot produce the records.

Baseball capitalizes on early lead to take down Loyola Marymount 9-4

The Bruins got off to their hottest start of the year Tuesday.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (18-4, 5-1 Pac-12) down LMU (15-9, 5-1) 9-4 on the back of a six-run first inning, its highest scoring opening frame of the year. The win pushed the Bruins’ winning streak to five games, matching their longest streak of the season.

The top of the first saw UCLA bat around the order and cycle through three LMU pitchers. Senior designated hitter Jake Pries drove in the first four runs with a homer over the left field wall, the first grand slam of the year for the Bruins.

“I was looking for a pitch up, and the pitcher threw me a couple of fastballs up, so it was the right approach for that at-bat,” Pries said.

A single by junior first baseman Michael Toglia forced the Lions to pull starter Nick Valdez with one out in the first. The Lions had to change pitchers again just four batters later, after an RBI single from senior third baseman Jake Hirabayashi and sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Noah Cardenas plated two more runs.

“It’s really helpful to get out to an early lead like that,” Pries said. “The ball travels better when the sun’s out, so in those first couple of innings it’s important to score.”

The Bruins put runners at the corners with the top of the order coming up in the third inning, but a rare call at the plate kept them from adding to their lead. The umpires called sophomore right fielder Garrett Mitchell out after inspecting his bat and finding that the barrel was loose.

UCLA once again put runners in scoring position in the next inning, and this time came through on a two-run single by Toglia. Toglia is now tied with freshman center fielder Matt McLain for the team lead in RBIs with 17.

On the mound, freshman right-hander Jesse Bergin allowed one run through his first four innings of work. However, he issued three walks to load the bases in the fifth, prompting coach John Savage to pull him from the game.

Freshman right-hander Jack Filby came in for Bergin and surrendered a two-run single to left fielder Kenny Oyama that put runners at the corners, but struck out the final batter to limit the damage.

UCLA and LMU traded runs in the eighth inning to push the final score to 9-4 on RBI doubles by junior second baseman Chase Strumpf and LMU right fielder Tommy Delgado, respectively.

The victory for the Bruins marked their ninth win in 10 games and seventh straight against the Lions. UCLA also pushed its Tuesday record to 4-0.

The Bruins will next play a three-game series at USC starting Friday at 7 p.m.

Softball extends winning streak to 13 as it prepares to head back into Pac-12 play

The Bruins continued their success in their break from Pac-12 play.

No. 1 UCLA softball (29-1, 3-0 Pac-12) finished up nonconference play with four victories to extend its winning streak to 13 games and remain atop the rankings.

“We’re versatile, and we’re athletic,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Consistency is always something that we’re working on.”

The Bruins played two games Sunday at CSUN (16-17 Big West) and won both by the mercy rule, beating Saint Mary’s (7-21 WCC) 9-1 in five innings and the home team 14-2 in six.

UCLA scored in every inning of its victory against Saint Mary’s, collecting nine hits from eight players including a home run each for senior utility Taylor Pack and redshirt junior first baseman Rachel Garcia. Freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo recorded the complete game, giving up just one hit, one walk and one unearned run.

Freshman utility Kelli Godin recorded three stolen bases in the game to tie a career-best. Godin had previously stole three bases in another Bruins’ victory earlier this season, also against Saint Mary’s. Godin notched four hits, four RBIs, five runs and four stolen bases in the doubleheader.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to put the bat on the ball and just hit it on the ground and let my speed do the work,” Godin said. “I’ve just been successful so far.”

In game two versus CSUN, Garcia gave up two unearned runs on a hit and a walk as UCLA entered the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead. But the Bruins broke the game open at that point, scoring 10 runs in the inning on seven hits, including a home run from senior catcher Paige Halstead and two triples from Godin and sophomore infielder Briana Perez.

The Bruins returned home to face UC Santa Barbara (6-25 Big West) and Cal State Fullerton (20-13) on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, taking the win against both teams.

The Bruins scored five of their six runs against the Gauchos in the third inning, capped by a three-run double by Pack. Sophomore pitcher Holly Azevedo moved to 7-0 on the season with her first complete-game shutout of the year. Azevedo gave up five hits and a walk while striking out five.

The Bruins used five singles and a bases-loaded walk to take the lead against Cal State Fullerton 3-0 in the second inning of the game. Faraimo then gave up a fourth-inning home run – the only earned run UCLA gave up all weekend.

The Bruins immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run by junior outfielder Bubba Nickles, which sailed over the scoreboard in left field. That’s all UCLA would need for the 5-1 victory, as Faraimo finished with 11 strikeouts, while only giving up three hits.

“I’ve been in a little bit of a slump, so it definitely helped to see my teammates battle and see (Faraimo) out on the mound,” Nickles said. “We have to have each other’s backs.”

The Bruins will return to Pac-12 play this weekend with a home series against California starting Friday.

“We just did a great job of getting through preseason and learning about ourselves,” Inouye-Perez said. “Now, we’ve got to sharpen up our game and get ready for Pac-12s.”

Men’s tennis earns first shutout victory of the season with win over LMU

The Bruins completed their first sweep of the season.

No. 19 UCLA men’s tennis (8-4, 1-0 Pac-12) defeated Loyola Marymount (3-10, 1-0 WCC) 7-0 at Los Angeles Tennis Center after taking the courts for the first time in almost two weeks. The match marks the first time UCLA did not drop a single point since its sweep of San Diego at the 2018 NCAA championships.

“I think a (sweep is special) if you’re playing a high shuquality opponent,” said coach Billy Martin. “Unfortunately, LMU is not having one of their better years. I didn’t expect it to be a tough battle quite honestly.”

The No. 36 ranked doubles team of senior Maxime Cressy and sophomore Keegan Smith faced off against the No. 40 ranked LMU tandem of Nick Borchenko and Diego Nava. The Bruins grabbed an early break in the set and emerged victorious over their opponents by a score of 6-2.

“Big serves were definitely essential (to our win),” Smith said. “It allows the net person to knock volleys off.”

At the No. 3 spot, the duo of sophomore Bryce Pereira and freshman Patrick Zahraj defeated Ryan Brown and Ethan Prost by a score of 6-1. The win was the pair’s eighth of the season.

Freshman Govind Nanda and redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp fell 6-1 at the No. 2 doubles spot after teaming up for just the third time this season. The duo have yet to win a doubles match in dual match play together this year.

The Bruins clinched the doubles point despite the loss at No. 2 and went into singles play leading the Lions 1-0.

Ranked No. 80 in singles, Smith continued his winning ways and was the first UCLA singles player off the court after defeating Borchenko 6-3, 6-2.

At the No. 4 singles spot, Zahraj denied his opponent Max Kaiser a game in the first set and went on to win the match 6-0, 6-1.

“It’s a big tricky, because on paper, it looks like it’s pretty clear, but there were a couple of deuce points where I broke him (on his serve), whereas I didn’t have a single deuce point on my service game,” Zahraj said. “But in the end, I picked the right shots at the right times and it turned out well for me.”

The clinching point of the day came from No. 1 singles, which featured a a top-100 matchup. No. 92 ranked Cressy dispatched LMU’s No. 86 Lukas Moenter with by a score of 7-5, 6-2.

The remaining matches on courts four, five and six were allowed to finish. On court three, Nanda, who is ranked No. 35 in singles, won in straight sets over Nava 6-4, 6-4 – while junior Ben Goldberg at No. 5 singles claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Freshman Matthew Tsolakyan was the last Bruin to finish after dropping the first set of his match 6-3. Tsolakyan forced a tiebreak in the second set to avoid what would have been the Bruins’ lone defeat on the day.

Tsolakyan claimed the match after a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set, winning with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (4), 10-2.

UCLA will travel to the Bay Area in a return to conference action against Pac-12 opponents No. 10 Stanford and No. 40 Cal on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

“We’re starting a winning streak,” Zahraj said. “We picked up our third loss (in a row) a few weeks ago, and now we’re talking about winning streaks. Confidence is building up with wins – we don’t have to doubt ourselves, and we are a good team. It always helps with wins (like this).”