As the regular season nears its close, the collegiate tennis world’s attention turns to the NCAA Championships in May, now merely four weeks away. Unlike the fall’s individual competition, the spring tournament is centered around team success, offering players the prospect of reaching the zenith of their college careers alongside their teammates.

For teams like No. 10 USC (17-5, 10-1 Big Ten), which currently sits third in the Big Ten standings, behind only No. 17 Michigan (15-6, 11-1) and No. 5 Ohio State (19-3, 10-1), the bulk of the work seems to be in the rearview. Barring a 4-3 loss to the aforementioned Michigan on March 22, the Trojans have hardly put a foot wrong all year.

But the job was not done yet. Despite its perceived safety, USC still had an NCAA berth to play for as it made the trip to Illinois last weekend for a doubleheader against Northwestern (13-10, 5-6) and Illinois (10-12, 5-6).

The Wildcats and Fighting Illini, residing in ninth and 10th place in the table, respectively, offered little resistance against their Southern Californian foes. They were each dispatched by the in-form Trojan side by identical 4-1 margins, offering USC some much-needed breathing room during the final stretch of the season.

USC nullifies Northwestern

The cardinal and gold got off to a solid start against Northwestern on Friday, with junior Lily Fairclough and freshman Krisha Mahendran beginning proceedings in doubles. The nation’s No. 25 pair wasted little time dispatching sophomore Erica Jessel and freshman Margot Phanthala, cruising through the match with a 6-2 victory. 

Freshman Eugenia Zozaya and sophomore Jana Hossam promptly followed suit, securing the doubles point with a comfortable 6-2 win over junior Autumn Rabjohns and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman. 

Earning the doubles point gave the Trojans a significant psychological advantage, with the early momentum visibly carrying over to the singles bouts. No. 58 senior Emma Charney, a key figure of the team’s success, entered the match on cloud nine, undefeated in conference play and riding a seven-match winning streak in singles alone. She extended her record to eight against Fruchtman, emerging victorious in straight 6-1, 6-0 sets.

Mahendran’s bout on court five concluded shortly after, defeating sophomore Maia Loureiro 6-2, 6-3.

Wildcat junior Neena Feldman’s consolation victory over fellow junior Immi Haddad was not sufficient to mount a comeback, as Zozaya’s 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 triumph over Rabjohns extinguished any flame Northwestern may have ignited.

Trojans trounce the Fighting Illini

After a two-hour trip to Urbana-Champaign on Sunday, the Trojans picked up right where they left off against Illinois. Charney and Haddad, who have maintained a 7-0 Big Ten record, did not let up the intensity against senior McKenna Schaefbauer and sophomore Ariel Madatali, winning 6-4.

However, USC’s momentum was abruptly halted as Zozaya and Hossam fell 6-3 to Illinois freshman Lizzie Isyanov and sophomore Cara Mester.

With the doubles point still up for grabs, a deciding match was required, pitting Fairclough and Mahendran against sophomore Tess Bucher and junior Alice Xu. After endless back-and-forth between the teams, Bucher and Xu ultimately prevailed in a 7-4 tiebreaker, shocking the ranked Trojans.

Despite the Fighting Illini gaining the upper hand via the doubles point, USC still had a trick up its sleeve: its deep, talented singles roster capable of turning the tide in any game.

Zozaya got the action underway with a swift rout over Madatali in straight breadstick sets, putting the team score level. 

Wins in the rest of the singles matches would not come as easily. While Mahendran managed to defeat Bucher in straight sets, it was not without its trials and tribulations; the Trojan outlasted Bucher 6-4, 6-3, narrowly avoiding a tiebreaker in the first set.

Haddad faced a sterner test: Although she bagelled freshman Kimiko Cooper in the first set, the second set went the distance, with a tie-break necessary to determine the victor. Haddad narrowly pulled through, winning the tiebreaker 7-3 and setting up a decisive affair between No. 22 Hossam and No. 57 Schaefbauer.

Hossam got the ball rolling, taking the first set 6-3, but Schaefbauer instantly responded, claiming the second set by the same score. With the Trojans’ hopes resting on her shoulders, Hossam rose to the occasion, winning the final set 6-1 to seal a statement victory.

Sunday’s victory — on top of providing invaluable experience for the Big Ten Tournament, which starts April 23 — was USC’s 10th conference win of 2026, marking its best season since 2015, when the Trojans went 10-0 and reached the NCAA Championship semifinals.

With knockout tennis on the horizon, USC returns to Los Angeles for its final tune-ups against Purdue (7-12, 3-8) on Friday at 2 p.m. and Indiana (14-9, 4-7) on Saturday at noon, looking to maintain its perfect home record at Marks Tennis Stadium.