| Women’s Tennis |
|---|
| Purdue — 0 |
| UCLA — 4 |
UCLA did not let a single set slip away.
Saturday afternoon, No. 19 UCLA women’s tennis (15-6, 9-4 Big Ten) handled Purdue (7-14, 3-10 Big Ten) with ease, sweeping the match 4-0.
UCLA set the tone early in doubles play. On court one, the No. 36 sophomore pair of Kate Fakih and Olivia Center wasted no time, cruising to a 6-0 win without dropping a game. The other two courts were close behind, both sitting at match point as the doubles point hung in the balance.
It was freshman Mayu Crossley and senior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer who clinched it, finishing off a 6-3 win to secure the doubles point and give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.
That momentum carried straight into singles, where UCLA did not slow down.
On court two, No. 49 Crossley looked unstoppable. She began to run out of steam at the last few points in each match. Crossley gave up a few points, but was able to close it off 6-3.
In the second set, she raised her level even more, dominating from the baseline and finishing quickly, 6-1, to put UCLA one step closer to the win.
All Bruins had won their first set in their singles performances. They just needed to win two more sets.
On court five, Center controlled her match from start to finish. She took the first set 6-2 and the second 6-3, finishing shortly after Crossley.
On the first court, everyone was paying close attention to No. 13 Lutkemeyer. During the first set, she fought hard and traded games with her opponent at the beginning. However, she began to gain momentum with the crowd rallying behind her after every win to take the first 6-3.
She didn’t slow down in the second set, playing with confidence and control to win 6-2 and clinch the match for UCLA.
UCLA will move onto the Big Ten Tournament, which will start on Thursday, April 23 in Columbus, Ohio.
