University Southern California Trojans
Friday, April 10
Evanston, Ill.
2:30 PM PT
USC
at
Northwestern
No. 10 USC Women's Tennis Headed East for Key Big Ten Matchups at Northwestern, Illinois
April 09, 2026 | Women's Tennis
Trojans ride win streak into road tests, aiming to hold share of first place in conference standings.
LOS ANGELES - No. 10 USC women's tennis hits the road this weekend for a Big Ten swing through the Midwest, facing Northwestern and Illinois as the Trojans look to maintain their spot atop the conference standings.
USC (15-5, 8-1) enters the weekend riding a three-match win streak following a dominant 4-0 sweep of Oregon. The Trojans have been especially strong as of late, fueled by a deep singles lineup that features No. 21 Jana Hossam, No. 51 Emma Charney and No. 125 Eugenia Zozaya, along with a doubles unit that boasts three ranked pairs. While USC has been unbeatable at Marks Stadium holding an 8-0 home record and a 12-match home win streak dating back to last season, this weekend presents a new challenge away from Los Angeles.
First up the Trojans face Northwestern (12-8) on Friday, a team still searching for its first ranked win of the season. The Wildcats are 0-5 against ranked opponents this year and are coming off a 4-1 loss to No. 17 Michigan. Northwestern is led by No. 90 Margot Phanthala in singles, who also teams with Erica Jessel to form the nation's No. 46 doubles pair.Â
USC then travels to Illinois on Sunday to take on the Fighting Illini (9-10), who will face UCLA earlier in the weekend before hosting the Trojans. Illinois enters on a three-match skid, most recently falling 4-1 to Michigan State, but features a key threat in No. 47 McKenna Schaefbauer. Despite recent struggles, Illinois will aim to bounce back on its home courts. USC holds a 2-0 all-time advantage in the series.
With the Big Ten race heating up, the Trojans sit tied for first place alongside Michigan and Ohio State, making every match critical down the stretch.Â
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USC (15-5, 8-1) enters the weekend riding a three-match win streak following a dominant 4-0 sweep of Oregon. The Trojans have been especially strong as of late, fueled by a deep singles lineup that features No. 21 Jana Hossam, No. 51 Emma Charney and No. 125 Eugenia Zozaya, along with a doubles unit that boasts three ranked pairs. While USC has been unbeatable at Marks Stadium holding an 8-0 home record and a 12-match home win streak dating back to last season, this weekend presents a new challenge away from Los Angeles.
First up the Trojans face Northwestern (12-8) on Friday, a team still searching for its first ranked win of the season. The Wildcats are 0-5 against ranked opponents this year and are coming off a 4-1 loss to No. 17 Michigan. Northwestern is led by No. 90 Margot Phanthala in singles, who also teams with Erica Jessel to form the nation's No. 46 doubles pair.Â
USC then travels to Illinois on Sunday to take on the Fighting Illini (9-10), who will face UCLA earlier in the weekend before hosting the Trojans. Illinois enters on a three-match skid, most recently falling 4-1 to Michigan State, but features a key threat in No. 47 McKenna Schaefbauer. Despite recent struggles, Illinois will aim to bounce back on its home courts. USC holds a 2-0 all-time advantage in the series.
With the Big Ten race heating up, the Trojans sit tied for first place alongside Michigan and Ohio State, making every match critical down the stretch.Â
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Players Mentioned
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Trojans Live | Maddy Sieg (4/3/23)
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