April 18, 2008

WESTWOOD, CALIF. - The No. 10 USC women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 6 UCLA on Friday afternoon, falling in the Trojans' final Pac-10 dual match of the season to finish the regular season with a 17-7 overall record and 5-3 Pac-10 mark. USC fell behind early to the Bruins with a loss in doubles, and UCLA managed to claim three of the next four singles matches to move ahead to victory and finish the regular season at 18-5, 7-1 for a share of the Pac-10 title.

The Bruins got a doubles sweep to start things off, securing an 8-2 win at No. 3 followed by an 8-6 decision at No. 1 as #2 Lin/Zalameda edged USC's #5 Fink/Niculescu. The No. 2 match went into a tiebreaker, and Bruins Lumpkin/Wetmore got an 8-7 (3) win there over Andrews/Sanchez. Up 1-0, UCLA moved ahead 2-0 as #59 Andrea Remynse topped USC's Sarah Fansler 6-1, 6-1. USC closed back in on #92 Maria Sanchez's 6-3, 6-4 win over Ashley Joelson at No. 4, only to have the Bruins tack up two more straight-set wins to secure the win. Alex McGoodwin snagged a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over freshman Cristala Andrews at No. 6 to make it 3-1 UCLA, and then #32 Tracy Lin held rank over USC's #90 Gabriela Niculescu at the No. 2 slot with a 6-4, 6-2 decision.

At No. 5, UCLA's #88 Elizabeth Lumpkin came back against USC's #117 Leyla Entekhabi for a three-setter, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 that made it 5-1 UCLA, before USC's #13 Amanda Fink pulled out a tiebreaker win at the No. 1 position - moving up in the ladder with the absence of USC's regular No. 1 singles player Lindsey Nelson. Fink handed UCLA's #11-ranked Riza Zalameda a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (10-8) loss that tallied the USC junior her 30th singles win of the season.

Next up for USC is a trip to the Pac-10 Championships, held April 24-27 in Ojai, Calif.

#6 UCLA 5, #10 USC 2
DOUBLES
(1) #2 Lin/Zalameda (UCLA) def. #5 Fink/Niculescu (USC) - 8-6
(2) Lumpkin/Wetmore (UCLA) def. Andrews/Sanchez (USC) - 8-7 (3)
(3) Joelson/McGoodwin (UCLA) def. Entekhabi/Fansler (USC) - 8-2
UCLA wins doubles point.
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
SINGLES
(1) #13 Amanda Fink (USC) def. #11 Riza Zalameda (UCLA) - 5-7, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (10-8)
(2) #32 Tracy Lin (UCLA) def. #90 Gabriela Niculescu (USC) - 6-4, 6-2*
(3) #59 Andrea Remynse (UCLA) def. Sarah Fansler (USC) - 6-1, 6-1
(4) #92 Maria Sanchez (USC) def. Ashley Joelson (UCLA) - 6-3, 6-4
(5) #88 Elizabeth Lumpkin (UCLA) def. #117 Leyla Entekhabi (USC) - 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3
(6) Alex McGoodwin (UCLA) def. Cristala Andrews (USC) - 6-3, 7-6 (6)
Order of finish: 3, 4, 6, 2*, 5, 1