University Southern California Trojans
Men's Tennis Hosts San Diego, UC Irvine
February 07, 2000 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 7, 2000
This Week -- USC (4-1, 2-0 Pac-10) prepares for two nonconference opponents this week. The Trojans will face No. 53 San Diego on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 1:30 p.m. On Friday (Feb. 11), Troy hosts No. 75 UC Irvine at 1:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at Marks Tennis Stadium.
The Trojans' Last Outing -- Last week, USC fell to No. 17 Fresno State, 4-3, on Tuesday (Feb. 1), marking Troy's first loss of the season. To begin the match, USC garnered two of three wins in doubles play for the point. No. 7 Nicholas Rainey and Ryan Moore led the way with 8-2 victory over Fresno State's David Mullins and Andy Scorteanu. With a 1-0 lead heading into singles matches, the Trojans earned victories in the No. 1 and 3 positions. The Bulldogs responded by tieing the score with victories at No. 2, 4 and 5. Fresno State's efforts brought the score to three apiece, leaving the match to be determined at the No. 6 spot. As the match reached five hours in length, USC's Parker Collins and Fresno State's Nick Fuster battled through three sets. Fuster earned the final come-from-behind victory, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, giving the Bulldogs the upset win.
USC vs. San Diego -- Tuesday's match will be the 23rd meeting between the Toreros and Trojans. USC owns a 20-2 all-time series record, after earning a 7-0 win at home in 1998-99. In San Diego's last outing, the team fell to Pacific, 4-3, in San Diego dropping to 0-2 in dual matches this season.
USC vs. UC Irvine -- Friday's match will mark the 37th meeting between the Trojans and Anteaters. In a series which began in 1969, USC owns a 33-3 advantage. Last season, USC claimed a 6-1 victory at home over UCI. The Anteaters enter this week undefeated (5-0) after earning wins over Loyola Marymount, Hawai'i and Northern Arizona at the UCI/Airport Holiday Inn Quad (Jan. 29-30).
Park Represents USC at ITA's -- After claiming the 1999-2000 Rolex Region VIII Championship (Nov. 4-7), Andrew Park earned an automatic berth to the ITA Intercollegiate Championships, Feb. 3-5, at the Brookhaven Country Club located outside of Dallas, Tex. In the first round of singles competition on Thursday (Feb. 3), Park was eliminated by Rodrigo Echagaray of Kansas, 4-6, 6-1, 0-6 (8-5).
USC News & Notes -- In the Fall, Ryan Moore and Nicholas Rainey won the Fresno State Bulldog Classic over Rizo/Maldonado of San Diego... The Trojans' are 0-1 against ranked opponents in 2000... After finishing the 1999 season ranked 17th, USC jumped six spots (11th) in the ITA fall rankings... Three of USC's four ranked players are only sophomores.
Head Coach Dick Leach -- Dick Leach enters his 21st season at the helm of the USC men's tennis program. In 20 years with the Trojans, he has amassed a 481-111 (.813) overall record and won three national championships (1991, 1993, 1994). His teams have garnered seven Pac-10 championships, for which Leach has been named conference coach of the year four times (1987, 1991, 1992, 1994). Last season, he guided USC to a 19-5 (.792) overall mark, third place finish in the Pac-10 (5-2), and second round appearance at the NCAAs.
