USC
Texas
No. 6 USC Men Upset Longhorns
March 11, 2011 | Men's Tennis
March 11, 2011
LOS ANGELES - The No. 6 USC men's tennis team faced some of their toughest competition of the season and responded like champions with a 5-2 win over No. 3 Texas Friday at Marks Stadium. After dropping the doubles point to start the day, the Trojans rallied to win five of six singles matches to secure the 5-2 victory. USC improves to 11-2 overall while handing the Longhorns their second loss of the season.
The Men of Troy didn't start off on the right foot and appeared to be in for a long afternoon as the team of Jaak Poldma and JT Sundling fell to #23 Damico/Holiner 8-4 from the No. 2 slot. The team then found itself in an unfamiliar position as the No. 48 tandem of Steve Johnson and Ray Sarmiento were defeated by No. 4 Corrie/Andersen 8-5 on center court to fall behind 1-0. Determined to turn the tables, USC's Emilio Gomez and Daniel Nguyen pulled out an 8-7 (8-6) win over No. 31 Chen/Whitehead in a lengthy match on court 3.
With a win to calm the team, USC emerged refocused to start singles play and never looked back. No. 19 Daniel Nguyen got the ball rolling as he dominated No. 83 Jean Andersen 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 3 slot to even the score. Freshman Emilio Gomez then continued his sensational play with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over Ben Chen on court five.
USC had reason for concern as No. 56 Ray Sarmiento was forced to retire against Daniel Whitehead in the second set due to a lingering wrist injury that had been bothering him all afternoon giving Texas it's second point to even the match at 2-2.
Senior captain No. 44 Jaak Poldma gave the team a shot in the arm as he extended his win streak to 12 matches with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 88 Kellen Damico on court 2. With the team win within reach, No. 1 Steve Johnson slammed the door on No. 29 Ed Corrie with a 6-2, 6-2 victory from the No. 1 slot pushing his win streak to nine matches. Freshman Michael Grant added another point taking down David Holiner 7-5, 6-1 on court six to complete the victory for the Trojans.
USC returns to action tomorrow (March 12) at 12 p.m. as they face No. 27 Louisville at Marks Stadium.
#7 USC 5, #3 Texas 2
March 11, 2011 - Marks Stadium
Doubles
(1) #4 Ed Corrie/Jean Andersen (TEX) def. Steve Johnson/Ray Sarmiento (USC) - 8-5
(2) #23 Kellen Damico/David Holiner (TEX) def. Jaak Poldma/JT Sundling (USC) - 8-4
(3) Emilio Gomez/Daniel Nguyen (USC) def. #31 Ben Chen/Daniel Whitehead (TEX) - 8-7 (8-6)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Texas wins doubles point
Singles
(1) #1 Steve Johnson (USC) def. #29 Ed Corrie (TEX) - 6-2, 6-3
(2) #44 Jaak Poldma (USC) def. #88 Kellen Damico (TEX) - 7-5, 6-2
(3) #19 Daniel Nguyen (USC) def. #83 Jean Andersen (TEX) - 6-2, 6-2
(4) Daniel Whitehead (TEX) def. #56 Ray Sarmiento (USC) -7-5, 2-0 Retired (wrist)
(5) Emilio Gomez (USC) def. Ben Chen (TEX) - 6-3, 6-2
(6) Michael Grant (USC) def. David Holiner (TEX) - 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 5, 4, 2, 1*, 6
USC wins 5-2
Players Mentioned
