Wisconsin Badgers
UCLA
No. 19 Wisconsin heads to California
April 04, 2025 | Women's Tennis
Badgers will face UCLA and No. 22 USC
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 19 Wisconsin women's tennis team will take its 13-match winning streak to the West Coast this weekend to face the UCLA Bruins and the No. 22 USC Trojans. The Badgers will take on UCLA on Friday, April 3 at 2 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup against USC on Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. CT.
This will mark the first time Wisconsin meets these programs as conference opponents, though they have faced off in non-conference play in the past. The Badgers are seeking their first-ever win over UCLA, having gone winless in four previous matchups, with the most recent meeting taking place in 2007. Wisconsin does hold a win over USC, but dropped their most recent contest against the Trojans in 2022.
BADGERS IN THE RANKINGS: Wisconsin dropped one spot in the rankings to No. 19 in the country despite winning their last 13 games. However, Maria Sholokhova has retained her spot at No. 5 in the singles rankings winning her last 13 singles matches. Taylor Cataldi dropped in the singles rankings to No. 100 after dropping out of the lineup due to injury. On the doubles side, Maria Sholokhova and Ariel Johnson come in at No. 86.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS: The UCLA Bruins are 8-7 on the season, and are led by head coach Stella Sampras-Webster. Sampras-Webster is the older sister of tennis legend Pete Sampras. However, Stella Sampras-Webster has built an illustrious career in her own right. She is in her 29th season as head coach where she has built a culture of success for the Bruins, accumulating a record of 524-192. She has two national championships in her time in Los Angeles making her one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history. UCLA recruits very well locally as five out of their eight players come from California.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS: The USC Trojans are 9-5 so far this season and have some impressive wins over UCLA and the University of San Diego. The Trojans are led by head coach Alison Swain, who is in her eighth season at the helm. Swain has built up the USC program in her time in Los Angeles with a 111-66 overall record coming into this season. The Trojans are seven-time national champions, with their most recent championship coming in the 1985 season. While the USC roster still features a good amount of home-grown talent from California, they also have some players from around the world. They have two players from England, a player from Egypt, and a player from Australia.Â
UP NEXT:Â The Badgers will return home to Nielsen Tennis Stadium for a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, April 11 at 5 p.m. CT. They'll then celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, April 13, when they take on the Indiana Hoosiers at 12 p.m. CT.
