College Tennis News - #4 USC Overpowers #33 Pepperdine in Home Opener

MALIBU, Calif. – The #33-ranked Pepperdine women’s tennis team took on the tall task of facing #4 USC in its 2013 dual season debut. Despite a strong doubles performance from the Waves’ top pair made up of Khunpak Issara and Lorraine Guillermo, the Trojans walked away with the 7-0 win.

As the match was wrapping up, the West Coast Conference released the preseason poll and all-conference team. With six first-place votes and 61 total points, Pepperdine was picked to finish first in the league. Saint Mary's followed in second place with 56 points and the remaining three first place votes. San Diego rounded out the top three after collecting 54 points in this year's preseason standings.

The Waves (0-1) led all schools with three preseason all-conference selections including Issara (Bangkok, Thailand/Bangkok Patana School), Guillermo (Walnut, Calif./Rowland HS) and Ale Granillo (Pachuca, Mexico/Instituto Hidalgo).

The Trojans struck first, winning the No.2 and No. 3 matches to clinch the doubles point. The showdown between #4-ranked Guillermo and Issara and top-ranked Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian came to an anticlimactic finish as play was suspended once the doubles point had been decided.

Although the Waves’ No.1 duo went up a break at 5-3, USC got back on serve the very next game. Christian was serving, up 30-15 in the game, when action was halted.

The Trojans showed their power in singles, winning five of the six matches in straight sets. Issara was edged in the first frame 6-4 vs. #19-ranked Zoe Scandalis before winning the second set by the same score. With the dual already decided, Issara and Scandalis went to a 10-point tiebreaker to determine the winner.

The USC standout jumped out to the early lead before Issara came back within two 5-7. The senior was stopped there, however, and Scandalis won the tiebreaker 10-5 to secure the sweep.

The Waves are back in action at home tomorrow, Feb. 1, for a 10 a.m. dual vs. #56-ranked Fresno State. Pepperdine opens WCC play on March 29 and 30 with matches at home against San Francisco and Santa Clara.
2013 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
TEAM (First Place Votes)     POINTS
1. Pepperdine (6)     61
2. Saint Mary's (3)     56
3. San Diego     54
4. Santa Clara     40
5. BYU     34
6. Loyola Marymount     28
7. San Francisco     26
8. Gonzaga     16
9. Portland     9
2013 PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
PLAYER     SCHOOL     YEAR
Anna Depenau     San Diego     Junior
Ale Granillo     Pepperdine     Junior
Lorraine Guillermo     Pepperdine     Sophomore
Khunpak Issara     Pepperdine     Senior
Jenny Jullien     Saint Mary's     Junior
Katie Le     Santa Clara     Junior

Tennis Match Results
USC vs Pepperdine
Jan 28, 2013 at Malibu, Calif.
(Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)

#4 USC 7, #33 Pepperdine 0
Singles
1. #17 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. #104 Lorraine Guillermo (PEP) 6-0, 6-2
2. #19 Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. #92 Khunpak Issara (PEP) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5)
3. #14 Danielle Lao (USC) def. Ale Granillo (PEP) 6-4, 6-0
4. Giuliana Olmos (USC) def. Michaela Capannolo (PEP) 6-2, 6-1
5. Kaitlyn Christian (USC) def. Megan Moore (PEP) 6-0, 6-2
6. Valeria Pulido (USC) def. Danielle Feneridis (PEP) 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
1. #4 Lorraine Guillermo/Khunpak Issara (PEP) vs. #1 Kaitlyn Christian/Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 5-4, unfinished
2. Giuliana Olmos/Danielle Lao (USC) def. Michaela Capannolo/Megan Moore (PEP) 8-3
3. Zoe Scandalis/Ellie Yates (USC) def. Danielle Feneridis/Ale Granillo (PEP) 8-1

Match Notes:
USC 4-0; National ranking #4
Pepperdine 0-1; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,5,4,1,3,2)