USC
LSU (NCAA Round of 16)
Women of Troy Advance To NCAA Quarterfinals
May 18, 2000 | Women's Tennis
May 18, 2000
MALIBU, Calif. -- With an 8 a.m. match start time, the 12th-ranked USC women's tennis team (18-8) opened tournament play at the 2000 NCAA championships with a 5-2 victory over No. 32 Louisiana State, at Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. With the win, the Women of Troy advance to the quarterfinals and will face third-ranked Georgia tomorrow (May 19) at 11:00 a.m.
LSU, who upset seventh-ranked Pepperdine in the second round, notched the first point with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 1 by No. 11 Bruna Colosio over Kara Warkentin. USC returned to earn the following two points in strong fashion. Jacqui Boyd defeated Tami Botts, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 4, while freshman Anita Loyola notched a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 5 over Lauren Haddix. Despite a slow start, the Trojans continued to add to the score when Jewel Peterson posted a 7-6, 6-1 decision at court three and Veronika Safarova earned a three-set win at No. 2.
"At the start of the match we were really tight, but when (Peterson) won her match and (Safarova) followed, I knew the tables had turned," said USC head coach Richard Gallien.
As players looked on, the outcome at court six would decide if any doubles matches would be played. The Tigers' Amy McIlhaney took the first set, 6-3, and was on the verge of earning the victory with a 5-3 lead over Tiffany Brymer in the second set. Not ready to surrender, Brymer fought back to tie the score at six apiece and claimed the set, 7-6, in the tiebreaker. McIlhaney prevailed in the third for a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win.
The Trojans eventually clinched the victory in the first doubles match played at the No. 3 spot when Loyola and Boyd easily defeated Botts and Haddix, 8-1.
"I know that we'll have to play a lot better to win in the next round," said Gallien. "But mentally it will be a lot easier for us to deal with because we'll be the underdogs."
With only eight teams remaining, quarterfinal matches will be played tomorrow, semifinals on Saturday (May 20), and the finals on Sunday (May 21). Georgia defeated South Alabama 5-1 to advance.
Final Score: USC 5, Louisiana State 2
Singles
(1) Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. Kara Warkentin (USC) - 1-6, 4-6
(2) Veronika Safarova (USC) def. Ana Paula Mores (LSU) - 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
(3) Jewel Peterson (USC) def. Fernanda Tsucamoto (LSU) - 7-6 (4), 6-1
(4) Jacqui Boyd (USC) def. Tami Botts (LSU) - 6-1, 6-4
(5) Anita Loyola (USC) def. Lauren Haddix (LSU) - 6-4, 6-0
(6) Amy McIlhaney (LSU) def. Tiffany Brymer (USC) - 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3
Doubles
(1) Warkentin/Peterson (USC) vs. Colosio/Mores (LSU) - Incomplete
(2) Brymer/Safarova (USC) vs. McIlhaney/Tsucamoto (LSU) - Match Not Played
(3) Loyola/Boyd (USC) def. Botts/Haddix (LSU) - 8-1
