Women of Troy take home ITA Kick-Off Weekend championship


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After opening the season with a 7-0 sweep against Loyola Marymount almost two weeks ago, the USC women’s tennis team played its first match at Marks Stadium over the weekend, raising its record to 3-0 after a victories over Denver and Pepperdine at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

With the bar set high, there was plenty of anticipation leading up to the event, as seniors prepared for their final home opener as members of the Women of Troy.

“[We have] the most amazing memories on these courts,” senior Zoë Scandalis said. “It helps so much when you’re home.”

The Women of Troy eased past Denver in their opening match of the tournament, shutting the Pioneers out 4-0.     Senior Gabriella DeSimone and freshman Meredith Xepoleas teamed up for a 6-2 victory over Denver’s sophomore/junior pair of Morgan Barnhill and Evy Van Genechten, and the No. 14-ranked combo of junior Giuliana Olmos and Scandalis battled to a 6-4 win over Gracia Mboko and Sonja Radosevic to clinch the doubles point for USC.

Scandalis admitted that it took some time to get a little bit of nerves out during their first home match, but the team really settled in and impressed during singles play. Olmos cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Mboko, and Xepoleas earned USC’s third point with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Charlotte Derbyshire.

Finally, freshman Gabby Smith wrapped things up for the Women of Troy, defeating Genechten 6-2, 6-2 and sending USC into the championship game.

After sealing the 4-0 shutout, the remaining singles matches were suspended. USC was in the lead in every contest when Smith clinched the victory, and all together, the team dropped just one set over the course of the entire match.

USC then went on to face Pepperdine in the championship on Sunday.

There, the Waves could not overcome the Trojans, as USC won the championship game by a score of 4-0.

A doubles victory from Zoe Katz and Sabrina Santamaria  earned the Women of Troy their first point, and individual wins from all six USC single’s players were enough to win the match to win the match in a dominate fashion.

The pairing of Olmos and Scandalis kicked off the Women of Troy’s dominance on the day with a 6-1 win.

Santamaria would also go on to capture the Women of Troy’s second point, defeating Pepperdine’s Michaela Capannolo, 6-1, 6-0.

Freshman Meredith Xepoleas would then keep the momentum going with a similar result, running over the Waves’ Danielle Feneridis 6-1, 6-1.

The tournament clincher would eventually come from senior Gabriella DeSimone, who capped off the day with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Pepperdine’s Christine Maddox.

The tournament victory secures the Women of Troy their place in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will take place next month in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Looking ahead, USC’s next dual match is a repeat of Sunday’s championship game, as the team will travel to Malibu on Friday to take on Pepperdine.   Scandalis saw this as an opportunity, especially for the three freshmen on the team.

“It’s going to be a good test for us, because we have three freshmen,” Scandalis said. “And we’ve had two matches which have been pretty easily handled so far, and I think [Pepperdine] will be the first team to push back a little bit.”       The Women of Troy will then head to Charlottesville, Virginia for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. They do not return to Marks Stadium until Feb. 14, when they host Vanderbilt and Texas on           back-to-back days.