CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- The No. 4 USC women's tennis team rebounded from its first loss of the year by muscling out ahead of No. 7 California today with a 4-1 win over the Bears in a consolation match at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. USC had two Trojans take down top-10 opponents in the victory, with Danielle Lao and Sabrina Santamaria each upended a highly seeded Golden Bear today in Charlottesville, Va. USC improves to 7-1 overall with the win.

 

The Women of Troy got out of the gates with the doubles point in their column for the second straight game. USC's Lao/Olmos got a leg up for the Trojans with a solid 8-1 win on court three over Cal's Estlander/Posylykin. And after USC's #13 DeSimone/Scandalis took an 8-5 loss at the No. 2 spot, the top-ranked Trojan tandem of #1 Christian/Santamaria hauled in the doubles point for the Women of Troy on an 8-6 win at the No. 1 spot over Cal's Davis/Susanyi.

 

That brought up singles play with a somewhat modified Trojan lineup with Zoë Scandalis out of the mix for this one. USC bumped up the bottom half of its lineup from the previous two matches, and brought in freshman Ellie Yates at the No. 6 spot. Yates was unfazed by the opportunity and opened up her singles match with a 6-0 sweep of Cal's Cecilia Estlander to put some wind in the Trojan sails. Yates' strength at six countered a tough day for her teammate Gabriella DeSimone, who stumbled to #109 Lynn Chi on court three as the Bears tallied their first point of the match. Yates kept charging against Estlander and got USC back ahead 2-1 with her 6-0, 7-5 win, and USC's two top guns would take it from there. Senior Danielle Lao and sophomore Sabrina Santamaria kept their singles slates clean and powered the Trojans on to victory. #17 Santamaria closed out a top-10 opponent with a 6-4, 6-3 win over #9 Anett Schutting on court two, and #14 Lao took down her second top-10 foe of the week with a power stroke in her 7-5, 6-1 clincher over #7 Zsofi Susanyi at the No. 1 spot.

 

The Women of Troy will now return home, with their next match set for Feb. 20 against San Diego State at 1:30 p.m. at Marks Stadium.

 

2013 ITA NATIONAL TEAM INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

CONSOLATION

#4 USC 4, #7 California 1

Feb. 10, 2013 (Boar's Head Sports Club • Charlottesville, Va.)
 

DOUBLES

(1) #1 Christian/Santamaria (USC) def. Davis/Susanyi (CAL) - 8-6

(2) Chi/Schutting (CAL) def. #13 DeSimone/Scandalis (USC) - 8-5

(3) Lao/Olmos (USC) def. Estlander/Posylykin (CAL) - 8-1

USC wins doubles point.

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
 

SINGLES

(1) #14 Danielle Lao (USC) def. #7 Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) - 7-5, 6-1*

(2) #17 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. #9 Anett Schutting (CAL) - 6-4, 6-3

(3) #109 Lynn Chi (CAL) def. #56 Gabriella DeSimone (USC) - 6-0, 6-0

(4) Giuliana Olmos (USC) vs. Tayler Davis (CAL) - 4-6, 6-2, 1-2 susp.

(5) Kaitlyn Christian (USC) vs. Kelly Chui (CAL) - 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 susp.

(6) Ellie Yates (USC) def. Cecilia Estlander (CAL) - 6-0, 7-5

Order of finish: 3, 6, 2, 1