The Illinois State womens tennis team was out-matched Friday afternoon as the No. 7 seed and host institution UCLA ended the Redbirds season with a 4-0 decision in the first round of the NCAA Womens Tennis Championships at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
I dont know what to say we lost and I dont like losing, head coach Chris Hoover said. It was like taking a knife into a gunfight. We were just out-gunned, not totally out-gunned though. If Katri (Miller) was healthy and we had someone like Liina (Suurvarik), we could have hung with (UCLA). But Laura, even as the fighter she is, should be playing at the No. 2 or No. 3 position.
With the loss, the Redbirds, which have advanced to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons, fell to 18-8 overall. UCLA improved to 16-5.
The positive today was that the players left on the court when play was stopped are all coming back, Hoover added. Hopefully they can all take something from this and learn from it.
UCLA came out of the gate quickly and captured the doubles point with an 8-0 and an 8-1 win. In singles play, UCLAs Laura Gordon, ranked 98th nationally, gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead following her 6-1, 6-0 decision over Matea Simovic at the No. 6 spot. The Bruins went ahead 3-0, when 11th-ranked Daniela Bercek posted a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Laura Gravino at No. 1.
Freshman Riza Zalameda, ranked No. 26 by the ITA, clinched the match for UCLA at the No. 2 spot, defeating Elizabeth Bingier, 6-3, 6-0.
UCLA will face Washington, which claimed a 4-0 win over Long Beach State, in the second round on Saturday.
