Women’s tennis sweeps in triple-header
The USC women’s tennis team steamrolled both the Colorado Buffaloes 4-0 and the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens 4-0 on Saturday in a stunning doubleheader. The Trojans were coming off of a similar result from their 4-0 win against Utah on Friday.
To weather the extra effort that USC would have to put in to win so decisively against both schools, Head Coach Alison Swain said that they tried to focus on the fact that the Trojans were playing at home and bring consistent energy to every game.
The Trojans started the momentum in their doubles games, setting the tone for their singles victories afterward. Graduate student Nathalie Rodilosso added a 17th and 18th doubles victory to her record by crushing the Buffaloes alongside freshman teammate Emma Charney, winning 6-2, and then the Sagehens, winning 6-0. Rodilosso’s senior send-off was also honored in a ceremony before the matchup against Colorado.
The second doubles win of the day from No. 26 ranked duo senior Eryn Cayetano and freshman Maddy Sieg helped the pair get prepared for their singles games.
Sieg followed her doubles win by adding a 21st straight win under her belt, remaining undefeated in a decisive 6-0, 6-1 straight-set win. Halfway through her game, she had a run-in with the referee, citing unfair calling after the referee missed a let.
“The ball rolled by, and then the girl called a let, which means you replay the point, but I thought she already missed the ball,” Sieg said. “So I thought it was my point … I explained to the ref [that] if there’s going to be a ball, we’re going to call a let.”
Sieg doesn’t let the fact that she’s undefeated get to her head — instead, she says, she tries to improve every single game to keep up her stellar performance.
“We’ve had some tough losses through the season, but I feel like it’s only made us stronger,” Sieg said.
Cayetano echoed her teammate’s statement, stating that she was excited for the next few games on the road, particularly against UCLA where the Trojans took a loss March 16.
“Our team has so much potential, and I hope that when we get there and when we step foot on the other side that we show them what we can do … I know we’re better than what we were a few weeks ago,” Cayetano said.
Additionally, this was Swain’s first game back from maternity leave. Swain said she was excited to return to the team since she missed being on the court.
“I just had a blast … getting to connect with them and really seeing some of the things they’ve been working on show up in matches this past month,” Swain said.
Swain hopes to continue improving and preparing the team for the season’s last games by focusing on finishing strong.
“For that two and a half to three hours we’re out there on the court, good things are gonna happen. So, that’s our focus, and we’re going to be satisfied if we do that,” Swain said.
The Trojans face Arizona State April 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the Whiteman Tennis Center and Arizona April 8 at noon in the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.