No. 5 USC Men Host ITA Kick-Off Weekend At Marks Stadium

THIS WEEK
No. 5 USC is back in the USA after an incredible training trip to Australia, where the Trojans picked up their first win of the 2019 campaign in a historic first-ever dual match played at a Grand Slam. Up against No. 25 South Carolina on the courts at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the Trojans notched a 4-0 victory to get out of the gates on a winning note. Now, USC has returned home to set up for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend this weekend. The Trojans welcome Cal Poly, South Alabama and UC Santa Barbara to Marks Stadium for competition Saturday (Jan. 26) and Sunday (Jan. 27). On Saturday, South Alabama (0-1) goes up against UC Santa Barbara (1-0) at 10 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. matchup between No. 5 USC (1-0) and Cal Poly (2-1). The losing teams will square off in the Consolation Match at 10 a.m. on Sunday, with the Championship Match between Saturday's winners set for 1 p.m. on Sunday. USC has won the event every year since it began in 2009, securing a trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships each time.

ORACLE/ITA RANKINGS UPDATES
For the 12th straight season, the USC men's tennis team has kicked off the new year ranked in the nation's top-10 of the Oracle/ITA rankings. The latest ITA team rankings (released Jan. 23) have the Trojans locked in as the No. 5 team in the land. The latest individual rankings came out during the fall as preseason rankings, with six five Trojans ranked in singles and one ranked doubles team. Sophomore Daniel Cukierman leads the way at No. 8 in the nation in singles. Senior Laurens Verboven has his career best at No. 19, as do seniors Logan Smith at No. 32 and Tanner Smith at No. 34. Freshman Bradley Frye weighs in at No. 47, with redshirt junior Jake DeVine locked in at a career-high No. 56. In doubles, USC has Cukierman and Tanner Smith ranked at No. 45 in the land.

SCOUTING CAL POLY
The Mustangs are 2-1 overall after opening their 2019 season with a 4-3 loss to Yale, a 4-2 win over Army and a 4-3 win over Michigan State last week. Cal Poly has no players ranked nationally in singles and no ranked doubles teams. USC is 6-0 all-time against the Mustangs after a 4-3 win in when the teams last met in 2017.

SCOUTING UCSB
The Gauchos are 1-0 overall after opening their 2019 season with a 5-2 win over San Diego State. UC Santa Barbara has #6 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran and #22 Joseph Guillen ranked in singles and no ranked doubles teams. USC is 32-1 all-time against the Gauchos in a series that dates back to 1929. USC beat UCSB 6-1 when the teams met last year in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend championship match in Los Angeles.

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
The Jaguars are 0-1 overall after a 5-2 loss to Florida State last week. South Alabama has #48 Clement Marzol ranked in singles and #16 Cloes/Marzol ranked in doubles. This would be the first-ever meeting between USC and South Alabama.

LAST WEEK
No. 5 USC showed resilience under a warm Australian sun earlier this week, gutting out a 4-0 victory over No. 25 South Carolina on the courts of the Australian Open in Melbourne. The Trojans snagged a quick doubles point and looked in position for a swift string of singles wins until the Gamecocks dug in and forced three sets on four courts. USC was able to net straight-set wins from freshman Jake Sands and sophomore Daniel Cukierman before things got tangled, and then Laurens Verboven came through with the clincher to wrap USC's memorable visit to Melbourne and get USC a 1-0 start to the 2019 campaign. The doubles point was a quick fix for the Trojans, who rattled off two swift victories to pocket a 1-0 lead. At the No. 1 spot, Brandon Holt and Riley Smith peeled out to a 6-1 win, putting Daniel Cukierman and Bradley Frye in position to snag the opening point. The sophomore-freshman duo locked in with a 6-2 victory on court three, and the Trojans were off to singles play with the 1-0 advantage in their court. In singles, USC claimed first sets down the line, but the Gamecocks fired back on four courts. At the No. 6 spot, however, USC freshman Jake Sands held firm and scored USC's first singles win of the day on a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jake Beasley to make it 2-0 Trojans. Next, USC's #8 Daniel Cukierman sidestepped a third and closed out a 6-2, 7-5 win over South Carolina's Yancy Davis on court two, and USC was up 3-0 with four courts tangled up in third sets. On court one, Brandon Holt rebounded from dropping the first set in a tiebreaker against #7 Paul Jubb, and the top guns would continue to battle in the third while the finish line neared on other courts. Jack Jaede and Riley Smith were both in tight third sets on courts four and five, respectively, while #19 Laurens Verboven also was in lockstep with South Carolina's Daniel Rodrigues on court three. Finally, Verboven found the finishing touch, getting one last break to clinch the match on his 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win. That suspended the remaining matches, and sends USC home to Los Angeles with a key win to build momentum in the early goings of the 2019 season.

FALL SUCCESS
Several Trojans had impactful falls, with Daniel Cukierman winning the SoCal Intercollegiate title and reaching the Oracle ITA Fall Singles Final, Logan Smith winning the ITA Southwest Regional title, Laurens Verboven claiming the ITA Oracle Masters championship, and Tanner Smith reaching the ITA Southwest Regional final. Jake DeVine and Bradley Frye also had strong showings at the ITA All-American qualifying rounds.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Daniel Cukierman

Jake DeVine

Bradley Frye

Brandon Holt

Jack Jaede

Jake Sands

Logan Smith

Riley Smith

Tanner Smith

Laurens Verboven