How a Stunning Aztec Upset of #30 UCLA Unfolded
In the middle of a season filled with success, the Aztec women scored a remarkable comeback triumph over number 30th ranked UCLA Bruins.
Guided by Head Coach Peter Mattera and Associate Head Coach Nico Vinel, the Aztecs refused to let the scoreboard forecast their defeat.
Before long, the Bruins led 3-1.
Aztec associate head coach Nicolas Vinel saw victory within reach. “I was confident,” he said. “I thought we were going to win.
“We were winning on most of the courts. I was confident because we did that a week earlier, against Washington, and we almost beat Washington.“
Vinel said he told the Aztec teammates they could still win. “I actually told the girls after we lost the doubles, I told them, ‘Girls, I love all the match-ups that we’re having, all of them.’” Aztec Liisa Varul took a singles point.
Vinel’s forecast proved accurate. As the Official Recap observed (online):
“Coming down to the final three courts, the Aztecs were able to pull off a massive rally in three sets on courts two, four and five.
(Ninon) “Martinache inched the Aztecs closer, winning on court four over (Bianca) Fernandez.
“After capturing the first set 6-1, the Aztec junior dropped the second set 6-0, but found the momentum to take the third set 6-4.
“Jo-Yee Chan captured another must-win. taking down (Kimmi) Hance in the second spot, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.
The match came down to Aztec Zoe Olmos and Bruin Ahmani Guichard on court five. The Aztec took the first set 6-4, but came up short 6-3 to Guichard in the second. It was a tiebreaker that decided the outcome. Olmos clinched the victory for the Scarlet and Black with a 7-6 (7-3) win in the third set.”
As the regular season ended, the Aztecs added an eight-match winning streak that included a 4-0 victory over crosstown rival University of San Diego, ranked 43rd in the NCAA Division One.
As the season was ending, ATR I asked Coach Peter Mattera: “Did you say that the victory over the UCLA Bruins was one of the highlights of your 25-plus years as a coach?”
“It was.” he said. “That hasn’t happened in an awfully long while, and it was a little on the unexpected side, and the fact that we were able to beat the Bruins was a very big deal.
ATR: And how did you do it?
Mattera: “Well, we’ve got a very good team, we’re very deep, and I think we played, on that day, quite fearlessly, and weren’t afraid of the consequences, just went out there and played tennis, and when you do that, good things can happen.”
ATR: What do you see for next year?
Mattera: “We’ve got a good returning group from this year’s team. We lose two. We lose Yasmine and Zoe, and we’ve already got one very good freshman coming. We will be active on the transfer portal when it opens. We’ve brought in a few visits. I think next year we’re going to be quite good.”