UCLA
USC
No. 5 Women's Tennis Falls at No. 2 USC, 4-3
April 17, 2015 | Women's Tennis
USC's win is more remarkable when you consider that the Bruins actually owned a 3-0 lead in Thursday's contest. After wrapping up the doubles point with wins at court Nos. 1 and 3, UCLA then moved out to a comfortable lead with wins at the Nos. 1 and 5 spots in singles action. Top-ranked Robin Anderson took care of business as usual at the top spot, as she downed 19th-ranked Sabrina Santamaria, 3-6, 6-0, 7-5. Next off was 64th-ranked Catherine Harrison at court No. 5, where she beat 75th-ranked Gabby Smith, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
Following Harrison's win, the Trojans then went on to win four-straight matches, all in three sets. Wins by Zoe Scandalis (court No. 3), Meredith Xepoleas (court No. 6) and Giuliana Olmos (court No. 2) evened things up at 3-3. At that point, all attention turned to court No. 4, where 78th-ranked Madison Westby was in a tight match with 28th-ranked Bruin junior Kyle McPhillips. McPhillips was actually two points away from winning the match in a second-set tiebreaker before Westby was able to win it 7-5. In the third set, Westby got out to a 5-3 lead and following a McPhillips hold, would end up serving for the match at 5-4. It took five match points but Westby would end up closing it out, taking a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 win to secure the narrow 4-3 victory for USC.
Both teams now turn their attention to next week's Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, Calif. The event begins on Thursday, April 23 and runs until Sunday, April 26. Unlike the men, the women compete individually in Ojai. UCLA has won the last two Pac-12 singles titles, with McPhillips taking the crown in 2013 and Jennifer Brady winning last year. Both players won it during their freshman years.
#2 USC 4, #5 UCLA 3
Apr 16, 2015 at Los Angeles, CA (Marks Tennis Stadium)
| Doubles |
| 1. #15 Anderson/Brady (UCLA) def. #23 Zoe Katz/Santamaria (USC) 8-3 |
| 2. #17 Olmos/Scandalis (USC) vs. #3 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) 6-5, unfinished |
| 3. Van Nguyen/Kristin Wiley (UCLA) def. Smith/Westby (USC) 8-4 |
UCLA Wins Doubles Point
| Singles |
| 1. #1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. #19 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 |
| 2. #13 Giuliana Olmos (USC) def. #49 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 3. #61 Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. #17 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) 6-2, 7-6(5) |
| 4. #78 Madison Westby (USC) def. #28 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 |
| 5. #64 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. #75 Gabby Smith (USC) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 |
| 6. #79 Meredith Xepoleas (USC) def. #91 Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 |
| Match Notes |
| UCLA 18-4; 8-2 Pac-12; National ranking #5 |
| USC 21-2; 10-0 Pac-12; National ranking #2 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,3,6,2,4) |
Players Mentioned
