At the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln on April 13, the No. 22 ranked UCLA women’s tennis team put up a strong show, defeating No. 72 Nebraska 4-0. UCLA has now won five straight games, improving their overall record to 12-7 and their Big Ten conference record to 7-3.
Doubles play opened up the competition, where UCLA’s top ranked pairs displayed their skills. The No. 19 team of Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle defeated Ana Zamburek and Lucy Loy of Nebraska 6-3 on the first court. On the second court, Kate Fakih and Olivia Center, the nation’s No. 2 pair, defeated Emma Rizzetto and Reya Lee Coe 7-5 to give the Bruins the doubles point. The Bruins maintained their advantage early on, even though they lost 6-2 to Nebraska’s Maria Taranova and Natalia Trigosso, who defeated UCLA’s Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Ahmani Guichard on court three.
As they moved into singles, UCLA kept up their pace. Guichard extended the Bruins’ lead on court five after defeating Lee Coe 6-4, 6-1. UCLA was within one point of victory when No. 19 Lutkemeyer defeated Zamburek 6-3, 6-3 on court one. The Bruins’ 4-0 victory was sealed on court four when No. 33 Fakih defeated Tiziana Rossini 6-0, 7-5.
The remaining matches were left unfinished. Hance, No. 97, defeated Taranova 7-5 in the first set, but lost 2-3 in the second set on the second court. On court three, Rizzetto lost to No. 76 Wagle 7-5, 4-0. Center and Loy engaged in a close match on court six, with the Bruins winning 7-6 (3), 1-3.
As they get ready for the much anticipated crosstown rivalry matchup against USC on April 16 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, UCLA is confident and on a five-match winning streak. The Bruins will aim to build on their recent success, with a significant boost in momentum as the postseason approaches.
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Featured Image Photographed by Kai Dizon/Daily Bruin.
