USC prepares for Pac-12 tournament
Following a dominating win over rival UCLA in the regular-season finale, the USC women’s tennis team appears to have hit its stride at the right time as it heads into this weekend’s Pac-12 championship tournament.
The win over the No. 7-ranked Bruins put the finishing touches on an outstanding regular season for the Women of Troy, who finished the 2013 regular season campaign at 21-2 overall and an extraordinary 9-0 in conference play.
USC head coach Richard Gallien said he was extremely pleased with the effort that his players put forth and believes that the win over their crosstown rivals will do nothing but boost the girls’ confidence entering the last stretch of the season.
“The girls are deservedly really happy.” Gallien said. “We’re winning because of great attitudes, and they’ve competed extremely well all year.”
The Women of Troy will continue to compete hard this weekend in Ojai, Calif., as they participate in the Pac-12 conference tournament. The event differs from other tournaments the team has played in this season in that it has no team implications. It is solely about individual rankings, which have no bearing on team seeding in the NCAA tournament.
As a result, senior Danielle Lao and sophomore Sabrina Santamaria are being held out of the tournament to give them some rest before the NCAAs start next month.
In Lao’s absence, sophomore Zoë Scandalis will be playing as the top singles player for the Women of Troy, which provides a huge opportunity for the young player, who is ranked No. 32 in the country.
“We really want the girls to focus on their individual performances,” Gallien said. “If Zoë were to win the tournament [out of the No.1 spot], that would be a big deal.”
As for the team’s health, the Women of Troy seem to be in top shape heading into the final phase of a long season. Santamaria and Lao are “a bit dinged up,” according to Gallien, but the rest this weekend should cure any minor health issues they might be dealing with.
“All sorts of ingredients go into winning a championship, but we need to be healthy,” Gallien said. “Right now, we are, which is one of the reasons we decided not to play Danielle [Lao] or Sabrina [Santamaria]. Playing that high in the lineup is very taxing physically and emotionally.”
All in all, it is clear that, though USC would love a great performance this weekend and is encouraging its players to compete hard, the focus is definitely on reclaiming the top spot nationally in the NCAAs. The Women of Troy entered the match against UCLA ranked No. 5 in the nation, but the win, especially because it was done in such dominating fashion, could push them into the top four and guarantee them a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
But even with that mindset, Gallien is not concerned with the possibility of his team not giving this tournament its best effort, which is something that has been an issue.
“Early in the year, we were struggling because we were complacent,” Gallien said. “I don’t think it’s going to bite us again. The finish line is close here and if someone beats us, they’re going to have to play very well. We’re not going to fall asleep.”
If that is true, then the Women of Troy should be bringing home some hardware next week.