Trojans to face off against Yellow Jackets
The No. 2 USC men’s tennis team is two steps closer to a three-peat this weekend, snagging consecutive home wins to move on to the third round of the NCAA championships.
Tough road · Junior Daniel Nguyen looks to lead the Trojans, who are two victories away, to their third consecutive NCAA championship. - Dieuwertje Kast | Daily Trojan
The Trojans hosted the first two rounds of the tournament, entering the postseason with a 14-match win streak, and walked away with a pair of 4-0 victories Friday and Saturday against Sacramento State and No. 31 San Diego.
Next up for USC is No. 16 Georgia Tech on Thursday at noon in Palo Alto, Calif. The Yellow Jackets earned this trip to the round of 16 for the first time since 1994.
“You just want to win,” said USC coach Peter Smith. “Winning gives you confidence and that’s the bottom line. You need momentum and winning gives you momentum.”
In Friday’s play, after winning two of three doubles matches to secure the doubles point against Sacramento State, the teams played out three singles matches before USC sealed the deal. Freshman Ray Sarmiento finished first, beating Sacramento State’s Javier Millan 6-2, 6-1. Junior Daniel Nguyen closed second, with a straight set 6-3, 6-2 win against Marko Starcevic.
For Nguyen the wins were more than just pocketed victories. They mark a personal success that has been hard fought but warmly welcomed.
“I think I’m playing my best tennis right now, both mentally and physically,” Nguyen said. “I’m playing NCAA tennis.”
Ultimately, being able to contribute to his team is most important to Nguyen, who was an integral part of the 2009 and 2010 back-to-back national championships teams.
He made clear that the team was ready to go and back for more.
“We’re ready and we’re coming back to win that title,” Nguyen said.
Saturday’s competition against San Diego was similarly successful. Nguyen and Sarmiento did not complete their doubles match after the Trojans’ No. 2 pair Poldma and sophomore J.T. Sundling, and No. 1 pair Johnson and Gomez pocketed 8-3, 8-4 wins against the Torero’s Dean Jackson and Patrick Pohlmann, and Nikola Bubnic and Nils Schive, respectively.
USC entered singles play with the doubles point in hand.
Lucassen was dominant at No. 6, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Abdullah Hashem. Nguyen won his second consecutive singles match in the competition, defeating Bubnic 6-2, 6-2, to bring USC within one match of another 4-0 win.
Poldma, Johnson, and Sarmiento were still battling mid-match when Gomez, playing at
No. 5, secured the team’s spot with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Thibaut Visy.
As the team goes deeper into the NCAAs, Smith said it’s all about staying “loose.”
“We’re focused and we’re ready,” Smith said. “It’s just a matter of staying sharp.”
Nguyen echoed that sentiment, feeling confident in the team’s ability to stay on top.
“Each match is going to be one of the toughest of our lives,” Nguyen said. “But we’ve prepared well, and we’re ready.”