After claiming its first Big Ten regular-season title on April 18, No. 12 USC women’s tennis earned its place as one of the favorites heading into the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed. 

The Trojans were set for a quarterfinal matchup against No. 43 Maryland, the conference’s No. 7 seed, which seemed to be just the first step in reaching USC’s ultimate goal of the championship. 

However, the Trojans reached an early conclusion to their Big Ten Tournament run Friday. USC (19-6, 12-1 Big Ten) came up short 4-2 against the Terrapins (18-7, 8-5) in the quarterfinals, ending the Trojans’ championship dreams as soon as they began.

Things were already off to a shaky start for USC after Maryland quickly clinched the doubles point. No. 29 junior Lily Fairclough and freshman Krisha Mahendran struggled to find their footing, falling 6-3 against No. 61 junior Diya Challa and sophomore Emma Ghirardato on No. 1 doubles. 

With the Trojans already on the chopping block, things didn’t look much better for No. 2 doubles. 

Senior Emma Charney and junior Immi Haddad’s match got off to a slow start against their Terrapin foes, senior Tamari Gagoshidze and sophomore Ema Kovacevic. Maryland strategically kept USC at the baseline, forcing the Trojans to switch to a defensive game. In a fast-paced match, Charney and Haddad were defeated 6-2, giving the Terrapins the doubles advantage.

Already down 1-0 on the overall scoreboard, No. 3 doubles went unfinished as USC freshmen Dani Borruel and Eugenia Zozaya trailed 5-4 behind junior Aida Eissa and sophomore Oliwia Orlinska. 

The Trojans looked to change the momentum of the game in the singles round, and Zozaya’s 6-0, 6-0 bagel over Orlinska on No. 2 singles showed promise. Zozaya’s electric performance, mixed with consistent serves and taking advantage of open court, put USC on the board to tie the match 1-1. 

Despite Zozaya’s efforts, Maryland continued its reign after Challa’s swift 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Charney on No. 4 singles, who still couldn’t find her momentum after doubles; however, Haddad’s aggressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over freshman Magdalena Baniak tied the playing field once again at 2-2. 

The match was heating up after Borruel came up short 6-4, 6-2 against Gagoshidze for No. 6 singles, putting all eyes on Mahendran’s battle against Kovacevic at No. 5 singles. With USC sophomore Jana Hossam leading the fight against Ghirardato in the No. 1 singles, Mahendran’s battle was looking to decide the game. 

Both sides of the net saw aggressive and strategic gameplay, with a good eye on open court and fast-paced serves. Still, Kovacevic maintained the upper hand, defeating Mahendran 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 to give Maryland the final point of the day. 

When the dust settled in the No. 5 singles, the Hossam-led match ended early at 6-4, 5-7, 3-5 as the Trojans had already lost.

After a disappointing finish to their short-lived tournament run, the Trojans now await their placement for the NCAA Division I women’s tennis championship, where they will likely receive one of the 34 available at-large bids. 

The tournament will begin with the first round Friday and finish with the championship match, scheduled for May 17 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia.