This weekend, No. 8 USC men’s tennis suffered their first loss of the season as they split non-conference matches against two conference foes. The team spent the weekend in Northern California where they lost to Stanford and beat California.
On Saturday, the Trojans lost 4-1 to No. 12 Stanford, their highest ranked opponent of the Spring season. USC secured the doubles point with wins from No. 10 junior Stefan Dostanic and senior Bradley Frye (6-3) and freshmen Ryan Colby and Peter Makk (6-3).
That was the team’s only point on the day, as they lost four consecutive singles matches. Stanford fifth-year Axel Geller beat No. 70 Frye 6-4, 6-3 to tie the match.
Stanford then followed with straight set wins from sophomore Aryan Chaudhary over No. 40 sophomore Lodewijk Weststrate 6-3, 6-4, freshman Max Basing over No. 35 Makk 6-4, 6-3 and senior Sangeet Sridhar over Colby 7-5, 7-5 to win the match. It was the team’s first loss since their quarterfinal loss to Texas in last year’s NCAA tournament.
“We were ready for the moment [in doubles,] then it slid away from us in singles,” USC head coach Brett Masi said Monday.
The team bounced back Sunday with a 4-2 win over Cal. The Golden Bears took the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead.
No. 15 senior Yuta Kikuchi and freshman Carl Emil Overbeck beat No. 10 Dostanic/Frye (6-2) and graduate Sean Hill and sophomore Lucas Magnaudet beat graduate Paul Barretto/ junior Ryder Jackson (6-2). It was the first time USC lost the doubles point this season.
Unlike against Stanford, the Trojans took over in singles. It started with Colby beating Magnaudet 6-3, 6-2, followed by Makk beating Overbeck 6-3, 6-0 and freshman Wojetk Marek beating senior Phillip Hjorth 6-2, 6-1.
With a 3-1 lead and three matches still in play, Cal made it 3-2 as Hill beat No. 70 Frye 7-6 (4), 7-5.
With No. 6 Dostanic and No. 40 Weststrate both in a decisive third set, Westrate clinched the match for USC beating freshman Derrick Chen 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
“We rebounded well in singles,” Masi said. “The freshmen won all three of their matches and that was great to see.”
Two of the freshmen Masi was referring to are Colby and Marek, who transferred to USC in January.
“We needed an extra boost and both have done an excellent job,” Masi said. “They are doing what we planned them to come in and do and both have been excellent additions to the program.”
As for the way the weekend went, Masi expects more in the coming weeks from the Trojans.
“Bottom line is we have to get better and we have some tough matches ahead of us,” Masi said.
USC will head to Seattle to play Portland before competing in the ITA National Team Indoor Tournament.