The UCLA women’s tennis team secured a decisive 4-0 victory over Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Friday at the MTSU Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Bruins, with a record of 17-8, were propelled by strong performances from their singles players Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, Kimmi Hance, and Elise Wagle. Each delivered commanding 6-1, 6-2 wins. Hance clinched the overall win for UCLA.
In doubles play, seniors Hance and Wagle also played pivotal roles in capturing the doubles point. The Crimson concluded their season with a 15-9 record.
Looking ahead, UCLA will face host and 15th-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round on Saturday. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m. PT at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Bruins’ pair of Hance and Wagle, ranked 14th nationally, achieved a victory against Harvard’s Holly Fisher and Kavya Karra with a score of 6-2 on Court 1. On Court 2, Rachel Arbitman and Angel You from Harvard initially led but were eventually overtaken by Olivia Center and Kate Fakih from UCLA who won three consecutive games to secure their match.
UCLA demonstrated dominance by claiming five singles first sets swiftly. Notably, Elise Wagle continued her winning streak with nine consecutive singles victories since March 23 after defeating Charlotte Owensby on Court 3.
Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer followed by defeating Fischer on Court 1 shortly before Kimmi Hance secured the deciding point against Stephanie Yakoff on Court 2.
This marks the sixth occasion this season where UCLA has won across its top three singles courts; they hold a record of five wins to one loss in such matches.
