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No. 5 USC shuts out No. 22 ASU in tennis 7-0

Senior Hannah James braces for a shot from a UCLA opponent on April 6. James and the ASU tennis team were shut out by USC on April 5. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)
Senior Hannah James braces for a shot from a UCLA opponent on April 6. James and the ASU tennis team were shut out by USC on April 5. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)

Senior Hannah James braces for a shot from a UCLA opponent on April 6. James and the ASU tennis team were shut out by USC on April 5. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman) Senior Hannah James braces for a shot from a UCLA opponent on April 6. James and the ASU tennis team were shut out by USC on April 5. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)

USC came into Tempe on Friday determined to show it was the best in the Pac-12 in tennis.

The No. 5 Trojans (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12) did just that in a convincing 7-0 victory over ASU.

The Trojans set the tone early with two doubles victories to secure the first point of the meet against the No. 22 Sun Devils (15-2, 5-1 Pac-12).

In the third match, USC sophomore Sabrina Santamaria paired with senior Danielle Lao instead of her usual partner, junior Kaitlyn Christian. Santamaria and Christian make up the No. 1 doubles team in the country.

Instead Santamaria and Lao faced ASU seniors Jacqueline Cako and Nicole Smith. Cako and Smith led 6-5 when USC won its second doubles match on a different court, clinching the Trojans the doubles point.

ASU coach Sheila McInerney decided to stop the match once it no longer mattered for scoring.

“At this point in the season, you just need to make sure (you stay) healthy,” McInerney said. “You’d shoot yourself if someone got hurt in this meaningless doubles match.”

That didn’t take away the players’ competitiveness. Smith said she “absolutely” wanted to continue.

“At the end of the day, it’s a team sport,” Smith said. “It was the right for what was best for the team.”

USC took the doubles point and led 1-0.

Singles was no better for ASU.

The Sun Devils needed a win in four of its six singles matches to win the meet. They did not win one. In fact, ASU did not win a set all afternoon.

“(USC) definitely played a lot better than we did today. They deserved to win,” McInerney said.

“Look, if you want to compete with the big boys, you better be ready, and we weren’t today.”

After a clean sweep at the hands of USC, the Sun Devils return to the court Saturday at noon to host No. 9 UCLA. ASU refuses to let the effects of Friday linger.

“It’s over. There’s nothing more we can do about it now,” Smith said. “We know what we need to do better, and (we’ll) do that for tomorrow.”

 

 

Results

Doubles

1.Sabrina Santamaria/Danielle Lao (USC) vs. No. 40 Jacqueline Cako/Nicole Smith (ASU) abandoned

2.No. 36 Gabriella DeSimone/Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. No. 62 Desirae Krawczyk/Leighann Sahagun 8-6

3.Giuliana Olmos/Ellie Yates (USC) def. Ebony Panoho/Joana Smith (ASU) 8-1

Order of Finish: 3, 2

 

Singles

1.No. 2 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. No. 23 Jacqueline Cako (ASU) 6-3, 6-3

2.No. 7 Danielle Lao (USC) def. No. 106 Desirae Krawczyk (ASU) 6-0, 6-1

3.No. 27 Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. Leighann Sahagun (ASU) 6-2, 6-1

4.No. 70 Gabriella DeSimone (USC) def. Hannah James (ASU) 6-2, 6-1

5.No. 116 Giuliana Olmos (USC) def. Joana Smith (ASU) 6-1, 6-3

6.Ellie Yates (USC) def. Ebony Panoho (ASU) 6-3, 6-0

Order of Finish: 6, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4

 

Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu


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