Univ. of Southern California Team Page

Defending women's doubles champs Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria have plenty of Trojan company with them in the mix out in New York this week at the ITA National Indoor Championships. USC's men's and women's tennis teams have a crew of nine players set to start up competition tomorrow (Nov. 8).

The men's contingent is comprised of junior Ray Sarmiento -- the nation's #9 singles player -- in the singles draw, and the recently crowned ITA Regional Doubles champs, sophomores Yannick Hanfmann and Eric Johnson. Sarmiento will open up tomorrow's singles action against Oklahoma's Guillermo Alcorta in the afternoon. Tomorrow morning, Hanfmann and Johnson have a first-round bye before scooting into the Round of 16 against Oklahoma's Alcorta/Alvarez.

The women's side of the action is jam packed with Women of Troy. In addition to defending doubles champs Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria standing tall as the top seeds, USC has sophomores Gabriella DeSimone and Zoë Scandalis paired up to start tomorrow's morning openers, while teammates Danielle Lao and Valeria Pulido -- ranked #49 and boasting the recent ITA Regional Doubles title -- have a bye to open the action. Christian/Santamaria also have a first-round bye, moving into the Round of 16 against Stanford's Tan/Tsay. At the other end of the bracket, Lao/Pulido pull a Round of 16 face-off with No. 2 seeded Boren/Szekely of Tennessee. DeSimone/Scandalis's day will start with a Round of 32 matchup against Armstrong Atlantic State's Filipovski/Krtickova to play for the right to move on to the Round of 16.

Singles play is similarly Trojan-centric. Sophomore Zoë Scandalis -- ranked #7 in the nation -- is tabbed as the No. 3 seed in the draw. She'll open against Tennessee's Brittany Boren in tomorrow's singles Round of 32. Also in her half of the draw is fellow sophomore Sabrina Santamaria, the nation's #8 ranked singles player. Santamaria faces UNC's Gina Suarez-Malaguti for her first match of the tourney. Rounding out the Trojan representation in the singles scene is senior Danielle Lao, who stands at #11 in the nation in singles and is lined up against the No. 2 seed, Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar of Texas A&M for the Round of 32.

To follow along all the men's and women's action at the ITA National Indoor Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.,