There is a time of the year where forehands and backhands are not enough. There is a time of the year where pride and passion are more important than talent and skill. This is the time when UCLA 0plays against crosstown rival USC.

Mirroring exact 7-0 records, UCLA and USC clashed in their first meeting this year in the semifinal at the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship in Virginia.

Both teams went into the match with their best weapons, they played a high-quality semifinal, but in the end, it was UCLA who came on top 4-0 and advanced to the final against the top-seeded Duke.

The Bruins were pumped up after winning the doubles point when No. 12 freshmen Robin Anderson and Skylar Morton upset USC’s No. 3 doubles Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria in court one.

Freshman Kaitlin Ray gave the Bruins a quick 2-0 lead after dispatching her opponent in straight sets 6-0, 6-3.

“The coaches gave us a game plan and today I was able to execute a little bit better and just the atmosphere was great everyone was fighting so hard all of us were competing. I think it was all about executing and fighting every point as hard as I could,” Ray said.

Then, Morton and fellow freshman Chanelle Van Nguyen gave the Bruins the final two points to beat the Trojans 4-0.

Before their encounter, the Women of Troy had upset sixth-seed North Carolina in the first round, giving way to a showdown against Tennessee in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, UCLA had beaten Georgia Tech 4-2 and Northwestern 4-0, in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively.

In the first round, the Bruins faced their first challenge after they lost the doubles point against Georgia Tech.

“I was very surprised. I underestimated their doubles they just really dominated the doubles point in (courts) one and three and they really taught us a lesson in being prepared and playing a different style they really took us out of our comfort zone,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster.

However, the Bruins came out strong for singles play and won four singles matches, three of these coming from the racquets of freshman players.

A similar story was written against Northwestern in the quarterfinals. After the Bruins had notched the doubles point, Anderson and Morton gave the team a 3-0 lead while Van Nguyen gave the Bruins the match-clinching victory in court six.

“I felt great yesterday (against Georgia Tech), it was good because everyone here is super good so we all have to play our best. Everyone did a great job and today I think we started out really well with a lot of energy and it helped me and everyone else play really well,” Van Nguyen said.

For Sampras Webster, the tournament is another milestone to the freshmen’s learning experience. She is happy to see that they are handling the tournament with maturity and confidence.

“I’m very pleased. We are learning a lot about them and it’s been great for them to have a chance to play and show us what they can do. They are doing extremely well, dealing with the pressure and I think they are really enjoying the whole team experience,” Sampras Webster said.

UCLA will play in its third final, the last one dating back to 1995. The team is aware of the opportunity they have to bring the title home, therefore they will play with their heart and soul to make sure it does not happen otherwise.