Colorado
UCLA
Tennis Blanked At No. 4 UCLA
April 10, 2015 | Tennis
LOS ANGELES – The University of Colorado women's tennis team saw its two-match winning streak come to an end, falling to No. 4 UCLA, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The Buffaloes, ranked No. 65 nationally, now turn their attention for a Saturday match up with No. 1 ranked USC (18-2, 7-0) at 1:00 p.m. (MDT).
CU falls to 11-9 overall and 1-7 in the Pac-12.
“Today was a tough battle, UCLA is the defending champions and they played like the defending champions,” CU head coach Nicole Kenneally said. “They played very clean; that's not to say we did not give a great effort. I like the way we battled in every position, but we just got out played."
UCLA (17-3, 7-1) playing its final home matches this weekend, has a trio of seniors, arguably the most successful class in Bruins history. UCLA has won an NCAA title (2014), played in an NCAA Final (2012) and also reached the NCAA Semifinals (2013). The team's record during their time in Westwood is an impressive 90-14 (.865).
The home team, winners of six straight matches, started the competition winning all three doubles matches.
The No. 18 nationally ranked tandem of Robin Anderson/Jennifer Brady raced out to an 8-1 win over CU freshman Tina Bokhua and senior Julyette Steur; at No. 2, the Bruins countered with another nationally ranked duo with No. 4 Catherine Harrison/Kyle McPhillips clinching the doubles point, defeating senior Ashley Tiefel and junior Alex Aiello, 8-1.
At No. 3, Chanelle Van Nguyen/Kristin Wiley defeated sophomore Nuria Ormeño Ruiz and freshman Kyra Wojcik, 8-3.
In singles, UCLA continued its momentum playing with four nationally ranked players and winning all six singles slots in straight sets. It's the eighth time this season the Bruins have blanked an opponent and only fourth time the Buffs have been shutout, all in the Pac-12.
Junior Alex Aiello held tough in her No. 4 match against No. 95 ranked Kaitlin Ray, falling 6-1, 6-4. Aiello was leading 4-3 until the UCLA senior rattled off three points to win in straight sets.
“Hats off to UCLA, if they keep playing like that, they're going to be tough to beat the rest of the year," Kenneally added. "Tomorrow, is another tough challenge playing USC. It's exciting being able to play the top team in the country. To be the best, you have to play the best and in the Pac-12, we get to see that week-in and week-out."
It's the fifth straight win for UCLA over CU since the series started 1982 and the fourth straight in Pac-12 play.
Match Notes
• Colorado is now 5-4 on the road and 0-4 against the ITA's Top 25 teams.
• CU is now 4-9 against the ITA's Top 75 schools.
• CU falls to 3-8 when losing the doubles point.
No. 4 UCLA 7, No. 65 Colorado 0
UCLA (17-3, 7-1 Pac-12), CU (11-9, 1-7 Pac-12)
April 10, Los Angeles Tennis Center
Los Angeles, Calif.
1d) No. 18 Anderson/Brady (UCLA) def. Bokhua/Steur (CU) 8-1
2d) No. 4 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) def. Aiello/Tiefel (CU) 8-1
3d) Van Nguyen/Wiley (UCLA) def. Ormeño Ruiz/Wojcik (CU) 8-3
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
1s) No. 1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. Tina Bokhua (CU) 6-0, 6-1
2s) No. 50 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. Julyette Steur (CU) 6-0, 6-0
3s) No. 63 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) 6-0, 6-1
4s) No. 95 Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) def. Alex Aiello (CU) 6-1, 6-4
5s) Kristin Wiley (UCLA) def. Kyra Wojcik (CU) 6-2, 6-3
6s) Terri Fleming (UCLA) def. Ashley Tiefel (CU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 2, 3, *6, 1, 4, 5
Players Mentioned
