Saturday, January 27
Lexington, Ky.
Noon
Northwestern
3
vs
4
UCLA
'Cats Drop Heartbreaker to UCLA, 4-3
1/27/2018 7:34:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Northwestern's women's tennis team gave 16th-ranked UCLA all it could handle, but the Wildcats came just shy of earning a berth in the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, falling 4-3 in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend championship match of the Lexington Regional.
NU (3-1) surged in front with a victory in doubles. The duo of Rheeya Doshi and Julie Byrne notched a 6-4 win before a top-10 battled went the way of the Wildcats as the fourth-ranked team of Erin Larner and Maddie Lipp topped seventh-ranked Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara, 7-5.
The University of Kentucky's indoor facility features four courts which meant the top four spots in the lineup started out singles play. UCLA evened the match with a win at No. 1 and took the lead with another victory at No. 4, but Lipp pulled off a straight-set win, defeating Terri Fleming 6-3, 6-4 to even the match at two points apiece.
Things didn't look good for Northwestern when Larner fell behind 5-3 in the third set of her match against Hart. However, the Wildcat senior rallied back to force a tiebreak before winning that to take the match 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3) and bring NU within one point of victory.
UCLA got a win at No. 5 to leave things to be decided by the match at No. 6. Alex Chatt rallied back from dropping the first set against No. 76 Alaina Miller to force a decisive third set, but Miller was able to come back late in the match to secure the victory for the Bruins.
Northwestern returns to action Sunday, Feb. 4 when it hosts Texas at 11 a.m. at Combe Tennis Center.
#16 UCLA 4, Northwestern 3
Doubles
1. #4 Erin Larner/Maddie Lipp (NU) def. #7 Jada Hart/Ena Shibahara (UCLA) 7-5
2. Ayan Broomfield/Terri Fleming (UCLA) vs. #8 Alex Chatt/Lee Or (NU) 6-5, unfinished
3. Rheeya Doshi/Julie Byrne (NU) def. Alaina Miller/Gabby Andrews (UCLA) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1*
Singles
1. #16 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. #60 Lee Or (NU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Erin Larner (NU) def. #119 Jada Hart (UCLA) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
3. #92 Maddie Lipp (NU) def. #100 Terri Fleming (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
4. Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) def. Inci Ogut (NU) 6-3, 6-3
5. #46 Abi Altick (UCLA) def. #99 Rheeya Doshi (NU) 6-3, 6-3
6. #76 Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. Alex Chatt (NU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6*
NU (3-1) surged in front with a victory in doubles. The duo of Rheeya Doshi and Julie Byrne notched a 6-4 win before a top-10 battled went the way of the Wildcats as the fourth-ranked team of Erin Larner and Maddie Lipp topped seventh-ranked Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara, 7-5.
The University of Kentucky's indoor facility features four courts which meant the top four spots in the lineup started out singles play. UCLA evened the match with a win at No. 1 and took the lead with another victory at No. 4, but Lipp pulled off a straight-set win, defeating Terri Fleming 6-3, 6-4 to even the match at two points apiece.
Things didn't look good for Northwestern when Larner fell behind 5-3 in the third set of her match against Hart. However, the Wildcat senior rallied back to force a tiebreak before winning that to take the match 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3) and bring NU within one point of victory.
UCLA got a win at No. 5 to leave things to be decided by the match at No. 6. Alex Chatt rallied back from dropping the first set against No. 76 Alaina Miller to force a decisive third set, but Miller was able to come back late in the match to secure the victory for the Bruins.
Northwestern returns to action Sunday, Feb. 4 when it hosts Texas at 11 a.m. at Combe Tennis Center.
#16 UCLA 4, Northwestern 3
Doubles
1. #4 Erin Larner/Maddie Lipp (NU) def. #7 Jada Hart/Ena Shibahara (UCLA) 7-5
2. Ayan Broomfield/Terri Fleming (UCLA) vs. #8 Alex Chatt/Lee Or (NU) 6-5, unfinished
3. Rheeya Doshi/Julie Byrne (NU) def. Alaina Miller/Gabby Andrews (UCLA) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1*
Singles
1. #16 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. #60 Lee Or (NU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Erin Larner (NU) def. #119 Jada Hart (UCLA) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
3. #92 Maddie Lipp (NU) def. #100 Terri Fleming (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
4. Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) def. Inci Ogut (NU) 6-3, 6-3
5. #46 Abi Altick (UCLA) def. #99 Rheeya Doshi (NU) 6-3, 6-3
6. #76 Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. Alex Chatt (NU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6*
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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