Jan. 27, 2012

LOS ANGELES - The fourth-ranked UCLA women's tennis team moved one step closer to earning a spot in next month's USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, as the Bruins dispatched of Utah, 4-1 in ITA Kick-Off Weekend action at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. With the win, UCLA (2-0) moves on to face St. Mary's in Saturday's qualifying round beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Gaels advanced with a 4-3 victory over No. 25 Oklahoma earlier in the day.

The Bruins, who cruised to doubles wins on all three courts on Friday, lost a total of just four games in doubles play. Bruin freshmen Robin Anderson and Skylar Morton were especially impressive at the No. 2 spot, as the nation's 12th-ranked team blanked Utah's Paige Miles and Sarah Pham, 8-0.

Despite the setback in doubles, the Utes (0-1) made a match of it in singles play, winning three of six first sets. The Bruins, however, moved out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to wins by freshmen Kaitlin Ray and Chanelle Van Nguyen at court Nos. 5 and 6, respectively. Ray lost just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Lucia Kovarcikova, while Van Nguyen was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Sammie Watson.

Utah then cut the lead to 3-1 when Pham upset 62nd ranked McCall Jones, 6-3, 6-1 at court No. 2. With the three remaining matches all extremely close, junior Pamela Montez notched the clinching win for the Bruins at court No. 3, downing Callie Craig, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to give UCLA a 4-1 victory.

ITA Kick-Off Weekend begins tomorrow with men's action, as Fresno State faces UC Irvine at 9:00 a.m. followed by UCLA and Alabama at Noon. All matches are free to attend.

#4 UCLA 4, #49 Utah 1
Jan 27, 2012 at Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Tennis Center)