Women of Troy sweep LMU in season opener


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In their spring season opener, No. 14 USC faced off against unranked Loyola Marymount at Manhattan Country Club and didn’t drop a set on their way to a 7-0 victory.

“The girls played really well for their first match of the season,” said coach Richard Gallien. “It was a great start to our season.”

Despite their record last season, Gallien stressed the fact that his team has nothing but respect for LMU and how hard they fought.

“LMU is a terrific team,” he said. “And we take everybody seriously.”

The Women of Troy began their dual match play by securing the lone doubles point. Gabby Smith and Madison Westby shut out their opponents 6-0. To complement their success, the teams of Gabriella DeSimone and Zoë Scandalis, along with Zoë Katz and her partner Sabrina Santamaria, won their matches with a dominating score of 6-2.

On the singles side of the match, No. 44-ranked Scandalis won 6-2, 6-4, defeating LMU’s top player, Jessica Perez.  Power freshmen Smith and Westby won their matches 6-3, 6-1, and 6-1, 6-2 respectively.

“Our freshmen played awesome today,” said Gallien in response to the team’s domination of the outmatched Lions.

The two other ranked players including No. 98-ranked DeSimone and No. 119-ranked Zoë Katz also showed convincing starts to their season by winning 6-2, 6-2, and 6-0, 6-1.

Santamaria, a senior, made her return to the court memorable, following a 10-month absence as she recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. By defeating Kylie Waschuk 6-1, 6-0, Santamaria clinched the victory for USC Wednesday afternoon.

“I was very proud of Sabrina in her return from her ACL injury,” coach West Nott said Wednesday evening. “What a great job she has done rehabbing over the last nine months, and then to contribute to the team today was amazing to see…“She is a critical part of this team and she will play a key role in our success this season.”

The Women of Troy will not have much time off, however, as some of the team will now travel to Palm Springs, California, to compete in the National Collegiate Tennis Classic.

The rest of the team will be participating in the Freeman Memorial Tournament in Las Vegas,  Nevada.