The women’s tennis team went soul-searching 11 months ago.

UCLA exited the ITA National Team Indoor Championships without advancing a single round. After jumping out to a 3-2 lead, the Bruins lost their final two matches in three sets, falling to the underdog Clemson Tigers 4-3. Sitting at 7-4, the team sought direction by turning inward.

“After Indoors, we were all really upset and disappointed with ourselves. So, we called a team dinner and talked about it,” senior McCall Jones said.

“(We) made goals for one another and told (each other) that we needed to be accountable. It gave each of us a goal to accomplish for NCAAs.”

The squad’s response to the gut-wrenching loss sparked wins in 12 of 13 matches during the months of March and April, and the momentum saw UCLA through to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four.

It is just the start of the 2012 dual-match season, but No. 4 UCLA still does not have to look very far to find itself. Today through Saturday, the Bruins will be one of 15 schools hosting ITA Kick-Off Weekend for women’s tennis, an event featuring four-team tournaments across the nation.

The winner of a Kick-Off Weekend tournament earns a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Virginia, held Feb. 10-13. UCLA earned the right to host a Kick-Off tournament by virtue of its final ranking as the No. 5 team in the country last season.

The Bruins’ journey back to Virginia starts with No. 49 Utah. The winner of that match will face either No. 25 Oklahoma or No. 41 St. Mary’s on Saturday.

UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster faces a challenge in selecting her tennis lineup, thanks to a combination of promising freshmen and injuries to sophomore Courtney Dolehide and senior Carling Seguso.

“We’re limited with the injuries we have, but we’re going to figure out who’s gonna be in that top six,” Sampras Webster said. “We’ve got eight great players, and the freshmen are going to have to earn it; they know that the returners have won a lot for us.”

The Utes have little history playing against the Bruins, as this year marks the first tennis season of the new Pac-12. Only one top 100 singles player, No. 90 Anastasia Putilina, is on Utah’s team and four Bruins rank higher than her.

Under two-time reigning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Mat Iandolo, however, Utah seems to be a program on the rise. The school enters the season with two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

The lack of familiarity with a new conference opponent has not affected Sampras Webster’s preparation, as she emphasizes to players the importance of looking no further than themselves.

“Not knowing them, we’ll research what they’ve done in the past. So we’re gonna prepare like we would any match. I always tell the team to expect a tough match: If it’s not, great, but if it is … you’re prepared for it,” she said.