Men’s and women’s tennis take on UCLA at home


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Both the Men and Women of Troy will take the courts at Marks Stadium this Sunday to face off in crucial Pac-12 and Crosstown Cup matches against the UCLA Bruins. At 12:30 p.m., the men and women will take the court alongside each other, with each team playing three doubles matches. After the doubles action wraps up, the men will take the court for their singles matches, with the women beginning their singles play immediately upon completion of the men’s match.

This will be the second meeting for the teams this season, with both the USC men and women falling to UCLA by a score of 5-2 in matches earlier this season held in Westwood.

The No. 21 USC women are on the rise, riding their recent momentum to a 6-0 Pac-12 record. The UCLA Women are not far behind, posting a 6-2 record in Pac-12 play and following just behind the Trojans with a ranking of 23. The men’s matchup between the top-10 ranked crosstown foes has major implications, with UCLA ranked fourth and USC ranked ninth. The Bruins are undefeated at 6-0 in the Pac-12 and in the midst of an 11-match win streak, but the Trojans have an impressive record of their own at 5-1 in Pac-12 and a five-match win streak of their own.

For the men, both teams have plenty of firepower in singles, setting up for a long battle. At the top, the Trojans carry senior Max de Vroome, junior Nick Crystal and freshman Logan Smith, ranked 19th, 43rd and 55th, respectively. UCLA is just as strong in the rankings, with junior Mackenzie McDonald, sophomore Martin Redlicki and junior Gage Brymer ranked 8th, 45th and 58th respectively, setting up exciting match ups. The Trojans’ youth continues to shine in the rest of their singles players, with No. 106 freshman Jake Devine and  No. 120 sophomore Thibault Forget. Freshman Laurens Verboven has contributed in both his doubles and singles play, and fellow freshman Jack Jaede has been a key contributor to several matches this season. The Trojans won all three matches last year and hope to return to their winning ways to even the season series.

The Women of Troy are led by standout senior Giuliana Olmos, playing No. 1-seed matches all season on her way to a ranking of 24th in the country. The deep roster contains plenty of youth, with sophomores Gabby Smith and Madison Westby, along with freshman Jessica Failla and Rianna Valdes all appearing in the rankings this past week. Westby comes in with experience from a full season played last year, with one of the highlights being clinching an exciting 4-3 victory against UCLA last season at Mark’s Stadium.

The “new look team” this season took some adjustments, as the Trojans fell in the rankings early in the year. Since a difficult stretch when they dropped three matches in a row, the Women of Troy have looked almost unbeatable, winning seven matches in a row, with the closest contest still a commanding 5-2 victory over Oklahoma State. UCLA brings only one nationally ranked player, senior Catherine Harrison at No. 17, but she will provide a difficult challenge for her likely opponent Olmos and each match is expected to be competitive in an important rivalry match. USC hopes to continue its impressive win streak and stay atop the Pac-12 standings, along with gaining bragging rights over UCLA.

The women’s coaching matchup is especially intriguing due to the extreme similarities in the two coaches. USC’s Richard Gallien is in his 21st season at the helm of the Women of Troy, posting a record of 378-148, while UCLA’s Stella Sampras-Webster is in her 20th season with the Bruins, posting a record of 382-141.