USC defeats UCLA in season finale


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​​Senior Salma Ewing stays focused during her match against UCLA and secured a clutch win against the Bruins to give USC the victory. (Richard Tao | Daily Trojan)

 No. 19 women’s tennis finished its season at Marks Stadium Friday with a 4-3 win against crosstown rivals No. 15 UCLA.

     This was the first time the Trojans beat the Bruins in a conference match since 2017 marking their seventh straight win.

     After being in danger of falling under a .500 winning percentage late last month, USC rallied back finishing the season with a 17-10 overall record and 7-3 in Pac-12 play. The team will also be getting a bye week in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, locking themselves into fourth place in the league standings.

     Head Coach Alison Swain stated the team’s mindset contributed heavily to their latest win streak. 

“What we’re looking at now is a team that has really grown as competitors throughout the season,” said Swain in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “They know they’re tough because of what they’ve been through.”

Seniors Danielle Willson and No. 42 Salma Ewing were honored with a celebration prior to the season finale against the Bruins. 

USC opened the points early on court two as the duo of No. 732 sophomore Naomi Cheong and freshman Grace Piper defeated the No. 56 ranked pair of freshman Ava Catanzarite and junior Abbey Forbes, 6-4.

The Bruins then matched the Trojans with a victory on court three after Willson and No. 98 redshirt freshman Snow Han fell to No. 120 freshman Kimmi Hance and junior Sasha Vagramov, 7-6(6). 

The doubles point would all come down to court one as No. 6 junior Eryn Cayetano and Ewing went against UCLA’s No. 49 ranked duo of senior Elysia Bolton and freshman Elise Wagle, who had won six in a row coming into the day. Cayetano and Ewing were ultimately able to score a 7-6(7) victory to give the Trojans the opening point. 

USC kept it rolling in the singles matches, as Cheong was able to give the Trojans a 2-0 advantage after her 6-1, 6-3 victory over Wagle. Han followed up by defeating Vagramov 6-3, 6-0. 

The Trojans were up 3-0, but the Bruins would not go out without a fight. 

After getting blanked in the opening set, Hance scored UCLA’s first point after defeating Piper 0-6, 6-4, 6-1. Sophomore Vanessa Ong continued the momentum for the Bruins as she beat Willson 7-6(2), 7-5 in a close

back-and-forth. The score would then be tied up at three apiece after Bolton came back from losing the first set and defeated Cayetano 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. 

The final point came down to court one as Ewing went against Forbes — last year’s

Pac-12 Women’s Singles Player of the Year. On senior day, Ewing wouldn’t let up and defeated Forbes 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to win the match for the Trojans. 

Swain shared that Ewing had to take risks in order to close out the match.

“She really had to play aggressive tennis to finish points because of the style of her opponent,” Swain said. “She just did an excellent job of sticking to her routine and playing her tennis.”

Although the book on the season isn’t closed yet, Swain only had good things to say about the resilience USC has displayed throughout the season. 

“I’m very proud of this team for staying united and staying focused through those bumps in the road in February and early March,” Swain said. “The way we’re playing right now is a product not only of our wins in the past, but also of our losses and the work the girls have put in.”

The Trojans will now head to Ojai for the Pac-12 tournament set to begin Wednesday. USC will face off against Arizona State Thursday.