Women's Tennis Rolls in NCAA Opener
LOS ANGELES – The fourth-seeded UCLA women's tennis team rolled to a 4-0 victory over Grand Canyon Friday morning, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships at Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The back-court trio was the story of the day for the Bruins (20-4), as Annette Goulak, Taylor Johnson and Vanessa Ong dropped three total games across their completed matches. Goulak supplied the clinching point. Doubles play also saw UCLA surrender just three total games in the two finished matches. The Lopes (12-9), who were playing in the first NCAA tournament in program history, saw their season come to an end.
The Bruins move on to face Texas Tech Saturday, with a trip to Orlando, Fla. and a spot in the round of 16 on the line. First serve in the regional decider is set for 1 p.m., PT. The Lady Raiders defeated San Diego by a 4-0 score Friday.
Abbey Forbes and Jada Hart continued their strong play on the top doubles court for UCLA, teaming for a 6-1 win over Natasha Puehse and Jana Weiss. Forbes and Hart have now prevailed in their last six decisions. Then, with Johnson and Abi Altick nearing a victory of their own on Court 3, Goulak and Vivian Wolff put the finishing touches on the first point of the day. The tandem triumphed for the seventh time in as many decisions, dealing Emilia Occhipinti and Autum Prudhomme a 6-2 loss on the middle court. Goulak and Wolff have a team-high 17 wins, against just two losses.
The Bruins recorded a sweep of the singles first sets, none more convincingly than Johnson on Court 6. She followed a 6-0 first set with another sweep in the second for her fourth victory in a row and fifth in six matches this season.
Making her NCAA Championships debut, Ong nearly matched Johnson's performance. In her first-career match on Court 4, the freshman gave up just one initial-set game to put UCLA one point away from the overall win. Like Johnson, Ong improved to 5-1 with her fourth victory in as many decisions.
Goulak would complete the sweep on Court 5, where she logged a pair of 6-1 performances versus Autum Prudhomme. The win marks No. 11 in 12 completed matches for Goulak, who is now 15-3 on the year.
In its only previous meeting with Texas Tech, UCLA suffered a 4-2 loss in first-round action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships Feb. 9, 2018.
Tennis Match Results
Grand Canyon vs UCLA
5/7/2021 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#4 UCLA 4, Grand Canyon 0
Singles competition
1. #7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) vs. Natasha Puehse (GCU) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
2. #50 Jada Hart (UCLA) vs. Emilia Occhipinti (GCU) 6-4, 2-0, unfinished
3. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) vs. Jana Weiss (GCU) 6-2, 3-0, unfinished
4. Vanessa Ong (UCLA) def. Joely Lomas (GCU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Autum Prudhomme (GCU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Taylor Johnson (UCLA) def. Taylor Andersen (GCU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Abbey Forbes/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Natasha Puehse/Jana Weiss (GCU) 6-1
2. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Emilia Occhipinti/Autum Prudhomme (GCU) 6-2
3. Abi Altick/Taylor Johnson (UCLA) vs. Taylor Andersen/Joely Lomas (GCU) 5-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
Grand Canyon 12-9
UCLA 20-4; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,4,5)
NCAA Championships - First Round
UCLA Regional