With temperatures in the high 70s, birds chirping and clear skies, it was the perfect weekend for the Trojans to get back on their feet after three straight losses to Big Ten rivals. 

“What we have to always go back to is focusing on progress and how we’re making progress,” said Head Coach Alison Swain in a post-match interview with the Daily Trojan. “If we come off our best weekend of wins, we still need to continue to make progress the next week. If we come off of losses, same thing, [right] back to focusing on how we’re making progress overall throughout the season.”

USC’s (11-5, 5-3 Big Ten) return to Marks Stadium following consecutive road losses proved to be vital in their definitive 4-0 win against the Minnesota Gophers (9-13, 1-8) on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans looked back in their element with the SoCal sun shining and fans cheering them on from the stands. 

A 6-1 win on Court 3 from the Trojans’ (14-1) doubles pair of junior Emma Charney and senior Parker Fry against Minnesota’s (4-9) pair of juniors Arina Valitova and Aiva Schmitz (4-9) gave USC the lead right from the start. Charney and Fry exhibited strong net play during the quick victory, grabbing control early in the match and never looking back. 

The Trojans secured the doubles point after the No. 5 team of sophomore Lily Fairclough and English senior Grace Piper (20-5) defeated junior Anali Kocevar and sophomore Mia Liepert (10-8) 6-4 in a tighter contest. This battle consisted of tight back-and-forth games with Fairclough and Piper eventually earning the upper hand. The pair has jumped from a No. 20 ranking at the start of the season to No. 5 — building chemistry and getting consistent results as the season has continued.

Senior Sloane Morra and sophomore Immi Haddad’s match against sophomore Jeselle Ante and junior Sofia Pinto was left unfinished after the first two wins gave USC the doubles point. 

During singles matchplay, No. 53 Piper faced off against Schmitz on the center court. Piper struggled to return serves at the beginning of the first set and was down 2-1, but stayed composed and found her stride — winning five games in a row to take the first set. From there, it was easy. Piper was the first to finish her singles match with a final score of 6-2, 6-1. 

Second to finish was No. 89 Haddad with a straight set, 6-3, 6-1, win over Valitova. Trojan freshman Simone Kay clinched the win for USC after losing only one game to Minnesota sophomore Anlin Xie for a final score of 6-0, 6-1.

The match against the struggling Gophers — who have lost all but one Big Ten matchup this season — was a good opportunity for the Trojans to regain their mojo before a battle with No. 19 Wisconsin (14-3, 7-2) the next morning. Before heading west to take on USC and UCLA (10-7, 5-3) over the weekend, the Badgers were undefeated in the Big Ten, dominating against a majority of their conference opposition. 

But the Trojans came prepared. In a repeat of Saturday’s matches, Charney and Fry were the first to finish their match against the Gopher pair of freshmen Ekaterina Ivanova and Parker Christensen with a final score of 6-1. Morra and Haddad followed suit, defeating senior Taylor Cataldi and sophomore Ellison Reynoldson 6-3, propelled by Morra’s high energy and intensity.

The unfinished match between Piper and Fairclough and Wisconsin’s No. 86 senior Ariel Johnson and junior Maria Sholokhova was tight, with the Gophers up 5-4 when the Trojans sealed the doubles point.

Singles started off with a difficult match for Piper against No. 5 Sholokhova. Though Piper stayed consistent and level-headed, Sholokhova’s power and accuracy overwhelmed her for a final match score of 6-3, 6-1. 

Fairclough was second to finish after beating Ivanova, 6-4, 6-3. Haddad followed with a grueling three-set, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, win over Johnson. 

“Coming back home, our whole goal was to respond [to our losses],” Haddad said. “Wisconsin is higher ranked than us, so we were really determined to get the win and the home fans and everyone really helped out with that, so [being at home] played a big part for sure.”

In another three-set match, graduate student Maia Sung beat Reynoldson, 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, to clinch the Trojans’ second win of the weekend. Sung’s high energy and relentlessness was noticeable throughout the match, especially in the third set when she didn’t give up a single game.

“Pressure is a privilege. Every time I get on these courts, I recognize that. We’re so lucky to be playing here, and I am so lucky and privileged to be playing for USC, so every time I feel that pressure, it’s not crippling, it’s more exciting,” Sung said. “It’s taken me a lot of years to recognize that, but I love playing [under] pressure. I think my game is actually better during those moments.”

With five matches left, all against conference opponents, the Trojans are nearing the end of the season and preparing for the Big Ten Conference Championships. They are back on the road this Friday to face off against Nebraska at 3 p.m. in Lincoln.

Sloane Morra is a sports columnist for the Daily Trojan and is not involved in the publication of any tennis coverage.