Men’s and women’s tennis round out regular season


Freshman Bradley Frye has a 9-5 record for the season and is currently on a three-match win streak. (Ling Luo/Daily Trojan)

Heading into the final two matches of the regular season, the No. 10 men’s tennis team is seeking two wins over Arizona and Arizona State along with a loss by UCLA to win the Pac-12 regular season title.

The 4-3 loss to UCLA on April 5 put the Trojans in second place behind the Bruins in the Pac-12 standings.

“Our goal is to just stick together,” freshman Bradley Frye said. “We’ve had some tough losses, especially the one against UCLA, so we just need to stand together and protect our house.”

The Trojans will need some help this weekend from the Arizona schools to move back into first place and lock up the regular season title along with the top seed for the Pac-12 tournament in Ojai, Calif.

Coming into the home matchups, the Trojans are on a two-match win streak and currently sit at 15-7 overall. The Wildcats are 17-4 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12 with three consecutive wins, including an upset over Oregon. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils head into the weekend on a six-match win streak and are 4-2 in Pac-12 play.

The Trojans need to use the home court advantage, where they have a dominant 7-2 record. They will need to continue to play the type of tennis they displayed last weekend when they swept both Washington and Oregon, as they close out the regular season.

“We need to treat it as any other match,” said redshirt senior Tanner Smith. “I definitely don’t want to make it about myself or the seniors, I want to make it about creating momentum for the team,”

The men’s team takes on Arizona at 3 p.m. Friday. USC will then face Arizona State Saturday at 3 p.m.

The women’s team also continues its impressive season. After losing consecutive matches for the first time this year against Pepperdine and Washington, it bounced back to pummel Washington State 4-1 in Pullman, Wash.

The No. 15 Trojans will face perhaps their toughest test of the season when they take on a UCLA team desperate for revenge after USC upset the Bruins on their home court in March.

There is more on the line than just dominance over Los Angeles. Both teams sit at 7-2 in conference play and will fight for the best positioning behind Stanford in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins and Trojans are in a three-way tie with Washington for second place heading into rivalry weekend. This weekend’s results are imperative for seeding in the Pac-12 tournament.

This weekend will not be as easy as the victory earlier this season as the Bruins have rounded into form and are seeking to return the favor. The Trojans will need to be sharper than ever to avoid a loss and carry their momentum in the Pac-12 tournament.

“I think for this year there are no expectations, it’s just been about jumping in and seeing what we can do,” junior Angela Kulikov said. “Every time we set an expectation, honestly, we exceeded it, so I’ve learned better than to set a new limit.”

The women’s team hosts the Bruins 11 a.m. Saturday.

Both teams still have a lot to play for in the final weekend of the regular season — championships, seedings and bragging rights are all on the line as they near the postseason.