LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The No. 11 Commodores began their weekend in California taking on the No. 12 Southern Cal Trojans Saturday afternoon at 1 CT.
“I thought we fought incredibly hard”, said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “They’re a really good team. We had chances to win the doubles point; we had chances to win the match. I’m disappointed, but I’m not discouraged, because I feel like all these tests are ultimately going to make us a really battled hardened and smart team. We’re just learning some tough lessons. It was a very, very close match.”
The Commodores fell in doubles for the third time this year, but the No. 32 team of Marie Casares and Ashleigh Antal picked up a solid ranked win over the Trojans tandem of Sabrina Santamaria and Meredith Xepoleas; 8-2.
Vandy’s No. 18 Courtney Colton and Sydney Campbell fell 8-4 to USC’s Zo Scandalis and Giuliana Olmos. Freshman Gabby Smith and Madison Westby clinched the doubles point for the Trojans on court three with a close score of 8-6.
With the point lost to the Trojans, the Commodores looked to singles play with hopes for the comeback.
Astra Sharma made quick work of her match on court four, taking down No. 72 Gabby Smith; 6-1, 6-1. With the victory the Commodore tied up the match and improved her record to 6-0 in dual match play. The win was also the sophomore’s second ranked victory of the year.
The Trojans took back-to-back victories on courts two and three. No. 22 Giuliana Olmos took down No. 71 Courtney Campbell in No. 2 singles; 6-1, 6-0. Sabrina Santamaria’s 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 89 Frances Altick gave USC the lead once again.
On court one, No. 15 Sydney Campbell defeated the Trojan’s Zo Scandalis in an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory. The sophomore is now 5-2 on the spring season.
Senior Ashleigh Antal took on USC’s Mereditch Xepoleas, evening the score at 3-all after taking the freshman down 6-4, 6-3 on court six.
With the match resting on their shoulders, No. 68 Marie Casares and Southern Cal’s Madison Westby squared off. Casares took the first set, 6-4, but could not hold on to the lead as her opponent took both the second and third sets 6-3.
The `Dores continue their stay in California, taking on undefeated No. 10 Stanford Sunday at Noon.
“Tomorrow we go up and play Stanford in Palo Alto. We’ve been talking about what an honor it is to be able to come out here and play great teams; they’re super opportunities. We’re learning very hard difficult lessons that I think will serve us well in April and May.”
#12 USC 4, #11 Vanderbilt 3
Feb. 14, 2015 – Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) #15 Scandalis/Olmos (USC) def. #18 Campbell/Colton (VAN) – 8-4
(2) Antal/Casares (VAN) def. Santamaria/Xepoleas (USC) – 8-2
(3) Westby/Smith (USC) def. Altick/Sharma (VAN) – 8-6
USC wins doubles point
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
SINGLES
(1) #15 Sydney Campbell (VAN) def. #65 Zoë Scandalis (USC) – 6-2, 6-1
(2) #22 Giuliana Olmos (USC) def. #71 Courtney Colton (VAN) – 6-1, -0
(3) Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. #89 Frances Altick (VAN) – 6-2, 6-1
(4) Astra Sharma (VAN) def. #72 Gabby Smith (USC)- 6-1, 6-1
(5) Madison Westby (USC) def. #68 Marie Casares (VAN) – 4-6, 6-3, 6-3*
(6) Ashleigh Antal (VAN) def. Meredith Xepoleas (USC) – 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1, 6, 5*
