Feb. 17, 2008

SEATTLE, WASH. -- The No. 6 USC men's tennis team took its second loss of the season while at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle with a 4-1 loss to No. 7 Texas on Sunday. USC moves to 8-2 overall on the season with the loss.

The Trojans went down 1-0 after missing out on the doubles point to open the match, falling at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots as Texas took an early lead. In singles, USC's Abdullah Magdas was beaten 6-2, 6-1 but Josh Zavala at the No. 5 position before Luis Diaz Barriga got Texas up 3-0 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Gary Sacks at the No. 4 spot. Jason McNaughton tallied the first point of the match for the Trojans with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Milan Mihailovic at the No. 6, making it 3-1 Texas. The match was then clinched by Texas at the No. 2 slot, as Kellen Damico grabbed a three-set win over Kaes Van't Hof in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 comeback that left the remaining matches at No. 1 and No. 3 suspended as Texas got the 4-1 win over USC.

USC returns to action next week with home matches against Arizona at 1:30 on Friday (Feb. 22) and then against ASU at 12 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 23) at Marks Stadium.

ITA NATIONAL TEAM INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seattle, Wash. -- Feb. 18
#7 Texas 4, #6 USC 1
DOUBLES
(1) Farah/Van't Hof (USC) vs. Corrie/Damico (UT) -- 6-6, dnf
(2) Reyes Varela /Diaz Barriga (UT) def. Piotrowski/Poldma (USC) -- 8-2
(3) Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) def. Levis/Sacks (USC) -- 8-3
Texas wins the doubles point
Order of finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
(1) Robert Farah (USC) vs. Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) -- 6-1, 4-6, 2-3, dnf
(2) Kellen Damico (UT) def. Kaes Van't Hof (USC) -- 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
(3) Jaak Poldma (USC) vs. Ed Corrie (UT) -- 5-7, 6-2, dnf
(4) Luis Diaz Barriga (UT) def. Gary Sacks (USC) -- 7-5, 6-2
(5) Josh Zavala (UT) def. Abdullah Magdas (USC) -- 6-2, 6-1
(6) Jason McNaughton (USC) def. Milan Mihailovic (UT) -- 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 4, 6, 2*