USC
Texas
No. 4 USC Women Take Down No. 8 Texas
March 14, 2012 | Women's Tennis
March 14, 2012
AUSTIN, TEXAS -- The No. 4 USC women's tennis team toppled another top-10 team today with a 4-3 road win over No. 8 Texas. Up against a top-10 team for the fifth time this year, the Women of Troy made a winning run to victory, including three straight-set singles wins, to cap off today's win. Zoe Scandalis served up the clinching heroics from her No. 1 singles spot to help bulk USC's record to 12-2 overall.
The Trojans started their day with a doubles sweep to build momentum going into singles play. With #49 Pulido/Scandalis starting the trend with an 8-5 win, #4 Christian/Santamaria followed suit with an 8-6 decision, while Lao/Ramos wrapped things up on an 8-2 win. Boosted by that dominant performance on the doubles courts, USC rattled off three straight-set wins in singles to secure an early win for the Trojans.
Valeria Pulido would roll at the No. 6 spot with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Elizabeth Bagley to make it 2-0 and record her fifth straight singles win at the No. 6 position. Soon after, #31 Sabrina Santamaria delivered a decisive 6-2, 6-2 win over #122 Noel Scott on court three. Her fellow freshman on court one, #21 Zoe Scandalis, came through in the clutch with a 6-4, 6-3 win over #24 Aerial Ellis, and the Trojans were in the books with the win.
Meanwhile, there were three other matches still going strong -- all to be decided in third sets. Kaitlyn Christian wound up retiring from her No. 4 match with Cierra Gaytan-Leach after trading 6-3 wins in the first two sets and snagged at a 1-1 draw in third. That would give Texas its first point of the day, albeit too late to make a bid for a win. On court five, Longhorn Lina Padegimaite pushed past USC's Gabriella DeSimone 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to make it 4-2, leaving court two as the only action going. There, #75 Krista Damico was able to hand USC's #18 Danielle Lao her first dual-match loss of the year with an 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback that snapped a 15-match singles win streak held by Lao and finished out the day as an 4-3 Trojan win.
USC has another road trip on tap for next week with the continuation of Pac-12 play. The Trojans will visit Utah on Friday (March 23) and Colorado on Sunday (March 25)
#4 USC 4, #8 Texas 3
DOUBLES
(1) #4 Christian/Santamaria (USC) def. #23 Padegimaite/Scott (UT) 8-6
(2) #49 Pulido/Scandalis (USC) def. Ellis/Gaytan-Leach (UT) 8-5
(3) Lao/Ramos (USC) def. Damico/Gajic (UT) 8-2
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES
(1) #21 Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. #24 Aeriel Ellis (UT) -- 6-4, 6-3*
(2) #75 Krista Damico (UT) def. #18 Danielle Lao (USC) -- 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
(3) #31 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. #122 Noel Scott (UT) -- 6-2, 6-2
(4) Cierra Gaytan-Leach (UT) def. Kaitlyn Christian (USC) -- 3-6, 6-3, 1-1 (ret.)
(5) Lina Padegimaite (UT) def. Gabriella DeSimone (USC) -- 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
(6) Valeria Pulido (USC) def. Elizabeth Begley (UT) -- 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1*, 4, 5, 2
