After ending the 2023-24 season with only one loss in the comfort of a home environment, the USC women’s tennis team went into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend at Marks Tennis Stadium with high expectations. The Trojans looked to keep that incredible home win record alive and earn a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships — their first opportunity to compete for a title this spring.

The weekend started in superb fashion, as Head Coach Alison Swain’s squad continued to look impressive. In the opener, No. 11 USC (3-1) faced the University of Pennsylvania (2-2), and the Trojans cruised to a clean 4-0 sweep, winning both the singles and doubles points for the day.

In traditional fashion, No. 37 ranked senior Grace Piper — a long-time standout for the Trojans — set the tournament tone early. Piper served up two bagels on center court. First, alongside sophomore Lily Fairclough in doubles, the duo blanked No. 27 ranked senior Sabine Rutlauka and senior Eileen Wang. And in singles, Piper continued carbo-loading, bageling Rutlauka to continue the early momentum for the Trojans.

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By sealing this win over the Quakers, the Trojans advanced to play in the regional championship finals, where they would take on No.13 Auburn (7-0) for a chance to qualify for a possible trip to Illinois.

The Tigers are led by junior DJ Bennett, who is ranked second nationally by the ITA. Auburn had been running off a six-meet win streak, but all came in matchups with unranked opponents, with the Trojans being the Tigers’ first ranked competition of the season.

To do their part in advancing to the top-15 showdown with USC, Auburn served a 4-0 sweep to the University of San Diego (2-2) to reach the regional final qualification round.

The Trojan bakery was back open to start the match-up against the Tigers. Piper and Fairclough dominated their match to deliver a breadstick to Auburn doubles pair Bennett and graduate student Ava Hrastar. With a 6-2 win from junior Emma Charney and senior Parker Fry, the Trojans clinched both of the double points for the day, giving themselves the early advantage.

However, the Trojan momentum didn’t carry into singles competition as hoped.

Auburn was able to rally back in singles competition and take back the momentum. Following her defeat in doubles, another loss for Bennett in singles seemed imminent as she dropped the first three games of the first set to Piper. However, Bennett was able to completely shift the match momentum by winning the next six games to take the first 6-3.

Bennett carried this momentum into the second set by winning the first three games and ultimately defeating Piper in a strong 6-3, 6-2 victory on center court.

While Piper offered a strong start against one of the best players in the nation, she was ultimately unable to hang around with Bennett — whose victory seemed to gain momentum for the Tigers. Auburn won two of the three next singles matches to go 3-1 for the day in singles competition.

While Auburn’s three wins were enough to clinch the overall win, the Tigers also scored an additional singles victory. This win officially improved their singles record to a dominant 4-1 performance, adding salt to the wounds of the Trojan defeat.

The Trojans’ loss to Auburn marks the end of their campaign for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Illinois. While Swain’s team had lofty ambitions of proving it was one of the best in the nation, it will not get the chance to do so at the biggest event of the collegiate women’s tennis season so far.

After only losing one home game in the 2023-24 season — losing to UCLA in April — this isn’t the start to the season USC was hoping for. For Swain and the Trojans, hopefully this will be an opportunity for the Trojans to reset and restore the home win record once more.

The Trojans will shift their attention to a showdown with the University of San Diego, where they will look to improve their record in home-court play. The match with the Toreros is set for Saturday, Feb. 15, at Marks Tennis Stadium.