No. 5 Rebels Come up Short to No. 12 UCLA in NCAAs

In a rematch from the National Team Indoor, the No. 5 seed Ole Miss women’s tennis team fell behind early to No. 12 seed UCLA in the NCAA Championship third round, but battled to get back in the match before coming up short (4-1) here Thursday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
The Rebels conclude their best season since 1999 with a 22-7 record.
Ole Miss dug an early hole by dropping the doubles point and five first sets, but the Rebels battled back to force third sets on three courts, while closing in on a win on another court.
UCLA won a pair of 6-4 decisions on courts two and three in doubles to take the early 1-0 lead. They added to it with straight set wins on courts five and two to go up 3-0.
With the Rebels on the brink of defeat, the tide began to change in several matches. After dropping her first set, sophomore Anna Vrbenska rallied to defeat UCLA’s 67th-ranked Abi Altick 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on court four to make it 3-1 UCLA. Vrbenska trailed 6-3, 4-1 and exactly like the Georgia match in Oxford, she reeled off five straight games to grab the second set and then dominated the third set.
Meanwhile on the top set of courts, senior Arianne Hartono and junior Tea Jandric had battled back to force third sets on courts one and three. With both locked in tight matches, sophomore Alexa Bortles, the lone Rebel to win her first set, was trying to hang on in the third set against Alaina Miller. Bortles won the first set 7-6 and led 4-1 in the second, before Miller rallied to take the set 6-4. Miller jumped out to the early lead in the third and closed it out 6-3 to clinch the match.
Quick Hits…
·The Rebels end their best season since 1999 at 22-7.
·This marked the team’s ninth NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance.
·UCLA takes a 3-2 lead in the series with the win and avenges an earlier loss to the Rebels in the National Team Indoor.
·Anna Vrbenska ends the season at 17-4 in dual matches.
#12 UCLA 4, #5 Ole Miss 1
Doubles
1. #5 Arianne Hartono/Alexa Bortles (OM) vs. #7 Terri Flemming/Jada Hart (UCLA) 3-5, sus.
2. #64 Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) def. #90 Sabina Machalova/Tea Jandric (OM) 6-4
3. Alaina Miller/Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. Natalie Suk/Anna Vrbenska (OM) 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Singles
1. #7 Arianne Hartono (OM) vs. #9 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 2-2, sus.
2. #33 Jada Hart (UCLA) def. #79 Sabina Macalova (OM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Tea Jandric (OM) vs. Terri Flemming (UCLA) 6-7(3), 6-3, 2-3, sus.
4 Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. #67 Abi Altick (UCLA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) def. Natalie Suk (OM) 6-2, 6-0
6. #121 Alaina Miller (UCLA) def. Alexa Bortles (OM) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: 5,2,4,6
Courtside with Head Coach Mark Beyers…
“We dug ourselves a little too deep of a hole, starting with doubles and then the two quick singles matches. After that, we fought really well. We did a great job of getting back in it and gave ourselves an opportunity (to win). It was a fantastic match, but you have to be perfect when you dig yourself into a 3-0 hole. You have no margin for error. Then, UCLA’s No. 6 singles (Alaina Miller) went on a streak where she played some really good tennis and she was able to turn that match around. That was it.”
On the Season as a Whole…
“In a couple of weeks when we get over this match, we can look back on the season as a whole and look at the good and the bad. There was definitely a lot of good things. We did some things that haven’t been done in Ole Miss women’s tennis history before, and no one can take that away from these ladies.”
Next up…
Arianne Hartono will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship and in the doubles with Alexa Bortles beginning May 23.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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