Trojans sweep Pac-12 South Invitational


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Audrey and Nicole Nourse scored the winning point in the Trojans’ dual against UCLA Sunday afternoon to defeat the No. 1 Bruins. (Bryce Dechert | Daily Trojan)

The No. 4 Trojans triumphed during the Pac-12 South Invitational tournament at home this weekend, securing the sweep and improving to 6-0 so far this season.

“You’re feeling great. You’re undefeated. You play a lot of great opponents, and we got through a lot of tests,” Head Coach Dain Blanton said. “A lot of people wanted to write us off. Like they had this great team and now they’re down. SC is down, SC is down. Well, I guess this is down.”

The Trojans kicked off their weekend with a 3-2 victory against No. 12 UC Berkeley early Saturday morning. The Trojans split the first flight, with a three-set win from junior Olivia Bakos and freshman Gabby Walker on court four securing the Trojans’ first point of the dual. 

USC closed out the dual in the second flight, with straight-set wins on court one from juniors Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple and on court five from freshman Delaney Karl and graduate student Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope.

“Everyone did such a good job,” senior Audrey Nourse said. “We were there for each other and we played for each other. It was just an unforgettable experience.”

USC followed up its morning victory with a tough 3-2 win against No. 7 Stanford to round out their first day of action. The Trojans fell behind 0-2 after the first flight following close, three-set losses on courts two and four. The Trojans battled back in the second flight, though, with hard-fought three-set victories from Kraft and Maple on court one, Karl and Walker on court five and seniors Audrey and Nicole Nourse on court three. 

“A match is such a long thing,” Blanton said. “You come out, you play poorly, you start a new set. You can be back in and doing your thing, and so that’s how we look at it. Every set is different. Let’s focus on the set right in front of us.”

In their first match Sunday morning, USC stayed undefeated, taking down No. 16 Washington 4-1. Kraft and Maple continued their hot streak at court one, as did the Nourse twins on court three and Karl and Walker on court five. Bakos won her first match on court four paired with freshman Bailey Showalter. 

The Trojans continued to struggle on court two: USC is 1-5 on the second court this season, with the pairing of graduate student Madison “Maddog” Shields and freshman Madison White looking for their first win after taking over from the Nourse twins. 

The Trojans closed out the weekend with a nail-biting dual against crosstown rival and No. 1 ranked UCLA. The Trojans continued their first-flight struggles and fell behind to an early 2-0 deficit. The Trojans battled back in the second flight, though, and secured a straight-set victory on court one and a three-set victory on court five, before the Nourse twins wrapped up the dual with a 17-15 victory in the third set on court three.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Audrey Nourse said. “There was a second there at the end line where I looked across and I saw the stands just packed and I thought to myself that I would remember this moment forever. To be here at home and win at home was really special.”

For the Trojans, who lost much of their starting roster last year, the season’s first victory against UCLA was extra special.

“It’s so fun to play in the rivalry game,” Blanton said. “Anytime we play it and it’s so fun. And for seven freshmen and 10 transfers to experience that bell, it means a lot and it pays dividends down the road.”

The Trojans will return to action for the Battle for LA Invitational tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. at Merle Norman stadium.