May 24, 2011; Stanford, CA, USA; Members of Southern California Trojans celebrate after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the finals of the men

The USC Trojans Tennis program started NCAA play in style, playing strong tennis in front of their home crowd at Mark’s Tennis Stadium. Fans witnessed quite the spectacle as their Trojans marched on to the Sweet 16 in both men’s and women’s tennis, over the weekend.

The No. 4 Trojans took care of business on Friday and Saturday, defeating Sacramento State 4-0 and then disposing of the scrappy San Diego Torrero’s 4-1 in the second round. The fifth-ranked Women of Troy rolled through Sacramento State and UC Irvine without losing a game, on their quest to avenge last year’s semifinal loss to UCLA.

The Trojans wasted little effort in the first round against the Hornets, as all three doubles tandems won in convincing fashion securing the point. Then in singles play, Max de Vroome started the round off right notching a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Sean Kolar. Just a few minutes later, #36 Roberto Quiroz defeated Roy Brandys 7-5, 6-0 to give the Trojans the 4-0 sweep.

Over on the women’s side of things, the Women of Troy started their tournament in similar fashion, taking down Sacramento State 4-0 on Saturday. USC improved to 22-2 with the victory, led by Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria who won their doubles match 8-0 securing the Trojans doubles point. Ellie Yates doubled Troy’s lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-0 win Andrea Gomez Carus of Sacramento State, and then Zoe Scandalis clinched the win with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Sophie Lohscheidt.

The spectacular weekend for Kaitlyn Christian continued as she notched the fourth point in a 4-0 win in the second round for her fifth-ranked Trojans on Sunday. The Women of Troy ran their winning streak to 15 matches as they defeated No. 32 UC Irvine (23-5) advancing to the round of 16 for the second consecutive year.

The Anteaters won the first game in doubles play, but the Trojans quickly responded as the sophomore duo of Guiliana Olmos and Zoe Scandalis topped Ali Facey and Brooke Schweyer 8-0, to tie the doubles. Then the No.1-ranked tandem of Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria continued their winning ways, notching an 8-3 victory to secure doubles. 

The victory upped Christian and Santamaria’s season record to 31-0 as a doubles tandem.

Back on the men’s side, the four-time defending national champions disposed of rival University of San Diego 4-1, winning their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament match. Emilio Gomez and Michael Grant started the match with an 8-2 victory for the Trojans in the doubles, then star tandem Ray Sarmiento and Yannick Hanfmann secured the doubles point 8-4 the tally.

The singles had its fair share of ups and downs, but in the end the Trojans were not going to allow the Torrero’s to pull off another upset, following their 4-3 thrilling victory over Alabama. Roberto Quiroz notched the first victory (6-1, 6-2), improving his record to 12-4 as the No. 3 player in the singles rotation. In a major upset, #16 Ray Sarmiento dropped the final two sets after sweeping Clarke Spinosa 6-0 in the first.

Luckily for the Trojans the team responded, pulling out two more victories with Max de Vroome officially sending the pesky Torrero’s home with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Victor Pugliese.

Both the Men and Women of Troy will now set sails for the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Ill. The Women of Troy face 12th-seeded Stanford (18-4) on Friday at 10 a.m PT, coming off their 6-1 victory over the Cardinal in the regular season. The Trojans will square with the 13th-seed Baylor Bears on Thursday at 2 p.m PST, with a possible matchup of Ohio State looming in the Elite Eight.

May 24, 2011; Stanford, CA, USA; The Southern California Trojans celebrate after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the finals of the men

USC men’s tennis head coach Peter Smith, winner of four NCAA Team Championships in his first 10 seasons with the Trojans, has reached quite the coaching milestone: his 500th victory, which cam when USC defeated Stanford on Friday afternoon.

The 2012 ITA National Coach of the Year has posted a 230-64 record at USC, alongside 15 seasons combined at the helm of Long Beach State, Fresno State and Pepperdine. These accomplishments bear to resemble the joy and excitement his team showcased after celebrating Peter Smith’s 500th career victory with him.

The second-ranked Trojans defeated Stanford 6-1 improving their 2013 campaign to 18-2 (1-0) overall. The victory had its share of worrisome moments as the Cardinal actually defeated the Trojans in doubles play, giving them the early 1-0 lead in the match.

The Trojans responded in singles play as No. 6 Emilio Gomez blasted No. 54 John Morrissey with a 6-4, 6-1 decision sparking the teams resounding victory.

The rest of the singles lineup looked sharp as No. 9 Ray Sarmiento mirrored that winning score in taking out No. 88 Nolan Paige next, and USC was back in business with a 2-1 lead. These early victories gave No. 65 Eric Johnson and No. 86 Jonny Wang prime opportunities to close it out for their beloved coach. Johnson would notch his win with a 6-4, 6-1 decision in the Trojans’ favor, beating Daniel Ho to make it 3-1 USC.

Johnny Wang then sealed the deal for the USC Tennis program, defeating Trey Strobel 7-6 (3), 6-3 and securing coach Peter Smith’s milestone victory. Smith said he was very fortunate to be granted this opportunity at USC and loves the support he has received from his staff and the university.

The Trojans will now prepare for a matchup with No. 15 California on Sunday at 1:30 as the team looks to add to their impressive resume.

The four-time defending champions have posted impressive victories throughout the season, including wins over UCLA, and a thrilling road-trip sweep over Notre Dame and Illinois over spring break. This unit continues to dominate as the next wave of superstars in Yannick Hanfmann and Max de Vroome are the vibrant youth of the program, looking to make their mark in the coming years.These two players are a combined 23-4 in singles matches this season.

While the youth are making an impact, sixth-ranked Emilio Gomez brings an experience of two-straight national championships to the court. Gomez posts a 14-2 record this season, replacing the two-time defending national champion Steve Johnson as the top option for Court 1 Singles action.

Junior Ray Sarmiento is a staple of the program as the emotional heart and soul of the club. Ray playes with an intense sense of urgency that resonates with his beckones towards the crowd on crucial points. On the season, the ninth-ranked player in the nation is 17-6 this season in both singles and doubles.

All this talent can be a bit overwhelming for the coach who made history by winning his 500th career match.

“It is a privilege to have this job and way of life. Yes, I have been very fortunate. But there’s no time to stop and think too much–we have more to do. Fight On,” Peter Smith exalted after winning.

The combination of experience, talent, emotion and the best coach in the business make the USC Men’s Tennis team a perennial national championship contender. The Trojans are 1-2 this season against their biggest rivals Virginia and UCLA; two teams who will be USCs biggest threat towards winning a record fifth-straight national championship.

The Trojans and Bruins make for quite the heated affair during Conquest in November when the football teams square. Although the action is more newsworthy with bonfires, rallies and killer tailgates, this week in February provides quantity and championship-caliber quality for an entire week of cross-town action.

Volleyball, Swimming and Diving, Women’s Basketball, and Men’s Tennis have already  squared this week. These matches are just the tip of the iceberg however in what should be a tremendous week of action between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans.

Here is an update schedule for all the exciting USC/UCLA sports action this week.

Jan. 30, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Ben Howland against the USC Trojans during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Battle For LA Schedule:

LAST SATURDAY: No. 1 USC Defeat No. 12 UCLA Swimming 167.5-132.5 from Uyegnsu Aquatics Center

LAST SUNDAY: No. 2  USC Men’s Tennis Defeats No. 3 UCLA Men’s Tennis 4-3 in ITA National Indoor Championship Semi-Final

MONDAY: No. 7 UCLA Volleyball Defeats No. 10 USC 3-0 at Galen Center

TUESDAY: No. 16 UCLA Defeats USC 68-54 In Convincing Fashion

WEDNESDAY: Final Day of Prestige Open From La Quinta California Men’s Golf

FRIDAY: No. 4  UCLA at No. 3 USC Men’s Tennis at Marks Tennis Stadium

SUNDAY: UCLA at USC Men’s Basketball

SUNDAY: USC at UCLA Women’s Basketball

QUICK PERSONAL PLUG: USC Club Baseball vs. UCLA Club Baseball (3-Games)

Biggest Takeaway: 

The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins have historically dominated the Olympic Sports, and once again these teams showcase their best athletes in the spring. Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Tennis, Golf, Basketball all square this week in what has been and will continue to be an epic ignition of the cross-town rivalry.

The most important matchup of the week may be basketball, for obvious reasons in terms of national attention and historic tradition. USC shocked UCLA in Pauley earlier this month, and do not be surprised if the Bob Cantu led Trojans can continue their hot ways and defeat the Bruins twice in a single month.

While basketball may get all the craze, Tennis may be the best bang for your buck this rivalry week. The USC Trojans have won four-straight national championships but are coming off a tough loss to top-ranked Virginia in five sets. The Bruins lost their last match to USC, and have given the Trojans trouble, including a victory at Marks Tennis Stadium last season.

Keep an eye out for some nasty arguments and livid cheers at the non-revenue sporrts this week as each school gets their shot to own the keys to the kingdom in Los Angeles.