The UCLA women’s tennis team defeated Penn State 4-0 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on March 15, rebounding from a previous loss to Ohio State and securing a split in their Big Ten weekend matches.
This result is significant as it demonstrates the team’s ability to recover quickly after setbacks and maintain strong performance in conference play. The win helps UCLA remain competitive in the Big Ten standings.
UCLA started by winning the doubles point with victories on Courts 3 and 1. Freshmen Kayla Chung and Mayu Crossley won their match against Brianna Baldi and Maria Ciubotaru 6-3, while Olivia Center and Kate Fakih, ranked No. 31 nationally, edged out Dorner/Monfils 7-5 at the top spot. The match on Court 2 was suspended during a tiebreaker with Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer leading.
In singles play, Fakih delivered a dominant performance at Court 4, defeating Baldi 6-1, 6-1. Crossley followed with a straight-set win over Maiko Uchijima at Court 2. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, ranked No. 40, clinched the overall victory for UCLA by beating Monfils 6-4, 6-2 on Court 1. Other matches were suspended once UCLA secured the necessary points for victory.
Freshman Rona Rugara made her second dual-match appearance of the season and showed resilience by coming back from a deficit to win her first set before her match was suspended.
Looking ahead, UCLA will travel to Michigan for their next match scheduled for March 21.
