USC was treated to partly cloudy skies and minimal wind as it took the courts Tuesday to face the No. 36-ranked Wolverines.  

The Trojans (5-5, 0-0 Pac-12) entered the match feeling the weight of a five-match skid. Looking to right the ship after an unforgiving performance at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Men’s Team Indoor Championship, the attitude surrounding the match was optimistic.

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“Hopefully just to get on the right path again,” said Head Coach Brett Masi about the team’s goal, in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Going on five [losses] on that road trip indoors was definitely humbling.”

Even with these hopes, doubles play started shakily for USC.   

On court three, graduate Samuel Rubell and freshman Volodymyr Iakubenko quickly fell 6-1 to Michigan’s (5-7, 0-0 Big Ten) freshman Alex Cairo and senior Nino Ehrenschneider.  

Despite this rough start, the Trojans showed grit and battled back. Junior Karl Lee and sophomore Oscar Weightman defeated juniors Will Cooksey and Patorn Hanchaikul 6-4 in second doubles.

Possession of the doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on court one. Eventually, USC’s first pairing of junior Peter Makk and senior Lodewijk Weststrate won an exciting match (7-6 [7-0]) against Wolverine seniors Gavin Young and Jacob Bickersteth — who are ranked 30th as a duo in the ITA rankings.

Following this well-earned win, the Trojans entered singles play with a 1-0 lead. This doubles point held significance in the momentum of the match.  

“We stayed poised enough and got that doubles point,” Masi said. “That helped us go into singles and do a good job throughout the match.” 

Makk — ranked 63rd — extended USC’s advantage to 2-0 by making quick work of No. 18 Young at first singles (6-1, 6-1). The other singles matchups were not as entirely one-sided as Makk’s victory.

Still, on court four, the Trojans’ Iakubenko defeated Michigan’s Cooksey 6-2, 6-4, earning USC a 3-0 lead on the Wolverines with 4 points left on the table.

Finally, Weightman clinched the match for the Trojans on court two via a dramatic comeback win (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) against Michigan’s Bickersteth.  

Weightman’s victory, therefore, suspended Weststrate and Hanchaikul’s match on court three during the third set, Lee and Wolverine sophomore Bjorn Swenson’s three-set battle at fifth singles, as well as Rubell and Michigan sophomore Nicholas Steiglehner’s match, which had just finished its second set on court six.

Following USC’s hard-fought 4-0 win against a Big Ten opponent, Masi expressed the importance of the team’s even mindset regardless of their opponents.  

“We’re going to see them every year,” Masi said. “But there were no different expectations, just coming out here, doing our best [and] getting a good shot to win.”

The team is hoping to keep the momentum rolling as they begin a stretch of outdoor tennis at home.  Masi is confident, especially following Makk’s dominant win at first singles.

“That was a great sign for us,” said Masi. “He’s going in a great direction, and with the chances that we’re going to be healthy here pretty soon, I like where we’re heading.”

Given the cancellation of their Thursday match against UC Berkeley (3-5, 0-1 Pac-12), the men’s tennis team’s next match will be March 7 at Marks Stadium against Pepperdine University (2-6, 0-0 West Coast Conference).