Ball-for-ball and stroke-for-stroke, No. 9 UCLA women’s tennis was right in the matches against No. 12 Pepperdine and No. 18 California this weekend. But each time, the Bruins (6-3) were unable to close out their games, dropping them 5-2 and 6-1 respectively. Read more...

Photo: Freshman Ena Shibahara dropped her first singles match in dual-play this season in a UCLA loss to Cal. Shibahara pinpointed her serving and aggressive playing as key to closing out future close matches. (Wesley Hardin/Daily Bruin)

Rankings don’t mean much. Despite being the higher-ranked team in both dual matches this weekend, UCLA women’s tennis lost both. The No. 9 Bruins (6-3) fell to No. Read more...

Photo: Freshman Ena Shibahara struggled against Cal and Pepperdine. The second-ranked Shibahara dropped her first two singles matches of the season. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)

From No. 20 to No. 9, UCLA women’s tennis jumped in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women’s Team Rankings after taking home a victory over then-No. 22 USC for its fourth win in a row this season. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt freshman Jada Hart has won five out of her past six singles matches, in addition to winning the past four doubles matches with her partner, freshman Ena Shibahara. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)

Los Angeles is known for being sunny and 75 degrees all year round. But not this year. For UCLA women’s tennis, one of the toughest challenges this season has been its battle with the elements. Read more...

Photo: Despite a nearly four-hour rain delay before facing USC on Saturday, redshirt freshman Jada Hart said the team kept a positive mentality, which helped the Bruins start strong in doubles. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)

That 3-1 lead started feeling uncomfortably tight. No. 20 UCLA women’s tennis (6-1) had rolled to a 3-0 lead Saturday – taking the doubles point and cruising through two singles matches in straight sets – but host No. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt freshman Jada Hart clinched No. 20 UCLA’s 4-3 victory over No. 22 USC on Saturday, coming back from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to win 7-5. It was Hart’s fifth singles win in her past six matches. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)

UCLA women’s tennis has won its last three matches after falling to Georgia Tech in January. But some of the toughest tests are yet to come. Read more...

Photo: Alaina Miller has won her past two completed singles matches heading into this weekend’s matches against No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 22 USC. The sophomore said she expects tough competition since the teams know each other’s players well. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)

Practice and play at home don’t compare to those grind-it-out road wins for UCLA women’s tennis. The No. 20 Bruins (5-1) downed the San Diego Toreros (2-4) on the road for their third win away from Westwood this year. Read more...

Photo: Freshman Ena Shibahara said she’s still getting used to playing in front of away crowds. So far this season, only two of UCLA women’s tennis’ six dual matches have taken place in Westwood. (Dayoung Lee/Daily Bruin)