SOUTH BEND, IND. -- The No. 3 USC men's tennis team made it a winning Spring Break with a 6-1 road victory over No. 27 Notre Dame today in South Bend, Ind. The Trojans put the Fighting Illini on the ropes early and finished it off with the clincher coming from Ray Sarmiento in straight sets on court two. USC improves to 16-2 with the win.

 

The Trojans hammered home the doubles point with authority as Gomez/Quiroz tag-teamed Notre Dame's #69 Lawson/Pecor for an 8-4 win that set up Grant/Johnson for the clincher on court three with their 8-6 win. That put the doubles point in Trojan hands and suspended play at the No. 1 spot with #26 Hanfmann/Sarmiento in the lead. 

 

The first win of the day on the singles courts came from #65 sophomore Yannick Hanfmann, who sped through three sets against Blas Moros, shrugging off a slump in the second set to hit the finish line first with his 6-1, 0-6, 6-1 win. Up 2-0, the Trojans added to the tally with #61 Eric Johnson's 7-6, 6-2 win over Michael Moore at the No. 5 spot. In a three-set comeback, Notre Dame's Ryan Bandy got the Irish on the board with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback on USC's #90 Jonny Wang on court six. Over on court two, USC's #9 junior Ray Sarmiento sealed the deal on a 6-3, 7-6 win over Quentin Monaghan to make it 4-1 Trojans and put that win in the books.

 

Taking the Trojans to a 5-1 lead was #2 junior Emilio Gomez, who rounded out his win with a 10-point tiebreaker in the third, beating #96 Greg Andrews 7-6, 3-6, 1-0. That left the last one on as #23 sophomore Roberto Quiroz, who was finishing off a full three sets against Billy Pecor. He rounded out the win as a 6-1 Trojan victory with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 comeback. 

 

USC now returns home to Troy to face Texas A&M in a Monday (March 25) match at 3 p.m. at Marks Stadium.

 

#3 USC 6, #27 Notre Dame 1

March 20, 2013 - South Bend, Ind.

 

DOUBLES

(1) #26 Hanfmann/Sarmiento (USC) vs. Andrews/Talmadge (UND) - 7-6 susp.

(2) Gomez/Quiroz (USC) def. Lawson/Pecor (UND) - 8-4

(3) Grant/Johnson (USC) def. Bandy/Dooley (UND) - 8-6

 

USC wins doubles pont.

 

Order of finish: 2, 3

 

SINGLES

(1) #2 Emilio Gomez (USC) def. #96 Greg Andrews (UND) - 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 

(2) #9 Ray Sarmiento (USC) def. Quentin Monaghan (UND) - 6-3, 7-6

(3) #65 Yannick Hanfmann (USC) def. Blas Moros (UND) - 6-1, 0-6, 6-1

(4) #23 Roberto Quiroz (USC) def. Billy Pecor (UND) - 6-7, 6-4, 6-3

(5) #61 Eric Johnson (USC) def. Michael Moore (UND) - 7-6, 6-2

(6) Ryan Bandy (UND) def. #90 Jonny Wang (USC) - 1-6, 6-3, 6-3

 

Order of finish: 3, 5, 6, 2*, 1, 4