Women of Troy win eighth match in a row
USC women’s tennis chalked up another two victories on Friday and Saturday, traveling to Arizona and beating No. 41 Arizona and No. 23 Arizona State 5-2 in both matches. With the two wins, the Women of Troy extended their winning streak to eight consecutive games, and they remain a perfect 7-0 in Pac-12 play with an 18-2 overall record.
In Tucson, USC faced off against Arizona and battled to the doubles point. After Meredith Xepoleas and Zoë Katz narrowly dropped the first game, 7-8, the all freshmen team of Gabby Smith and Madison Westby came up with an 8-6 win to even things up.
Finally, No. 15 junior Giuliana Olmos and senior Zoë Scandalis edged Shayne Austin and Briar Preston of the Wildcats to put the Women of Troy on the board.
The team then took control of the match in singles play. Wins from Smith, Katz, Xepoleas and Westby, all without dropping a set, had already sealed the victory for USC when Scandalis and Olmos suffered defeats to make the final score 5-2.
Coming into the game, the Women of Troy had prepared for Tucson’s altitude, but the key to victory was in the fundamentals practiced day in and day out throughout the entire season.
“We didn’t do anything different in particular [during practice],” associate head coach West Nott said. “We just focused on having a great attitude.”
Next, the team traveled to Tempe to take on the Sun Devils, and ASU proved to be tough opponents. Smith and Westby led off doubles with an 8-6 win, but Olmos and Scandalis fell by a score of 6-8. A 5-8 loss from Katz and Santamaria gave the first point of the game to Arizona State.
The Women of Troy fought back in singles, however, winning five of the six contests. Olmos and Scandalis rebounded from their losses against the Wildcats with a 6-2, 7-5 win for the junior over Stephanie Vlad and a 6-1, 6-4 win for the senior over Kassidy Jump.
The freshmen continued where they left off the day before, as each player won her match, highlighted by Smith’s 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ebony Panoho.
The road trip to Arizona was by no means easy for USC, but the team displayed determination and showed why it is the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
“Adversity is good for the team,” Nott said. “It will help them deal with the pressure better when it comes time for the NCAA tournament in May.”
With a great record and the top ranking, there are not too many holes in USC’s game, and Nott recognizes that the only players that can stop these Women of Troy right now are themselves.
“We need to be completely ready to go mentally,” he said. “That’s the only thing that can really get you into trouble.”
Nott went on to say that he was “really pleased” with the players’ current preparation and play and that the team relishes the challenge of being the top team in the country.
The Women of Troy return home on Friday to face Utah. USC’s final three games of the regular season are all at home, including the matchup against the Utes.
Marks Stadium’s courts play similarly to those in the NCAA tournament, and USC will look get comfortable in that environment in the coming weeks.
Furthermore, according to Nott, playing at home gives the team a better chance at finishing the season with three more wins.
“It’s a huge competitive advantage,” he said. “It’s more comfortable for us, and we tend to play better there.”
USC will face Colorado on Saturday after the fixture against Utah before seeking revenge against archrivals UCLA the next Friday, televised on the Pac-12 network.