University Southern California Trojans
Men's Tennis Hosts Top-Ranked UCLA
March 27, 2000 | Men's Tennis
March 27, 2000
This Week -- The 19th-ranked USC men's tennis team (12-5, 4-1 Pac-10) dropped three spots in the Wingspan.com tennis rankings this week after a 4-3 loss to No. 4 Pepperdine on Friday (March 24). This Friday (March 31), the Trojans host top-ranked UCLA at 1:30 p.m. at Marks Tennis Stadium.
USC vs. UCLA -- Friday's match will be the 157th meeting between longtime rivals USC and UCLA. The Bruins own a 82-74 advantage in the series and have won the last four matches, including a 5-2 victory over the Trojans on Feb. 18.
UCLA (14-2) recently regained their No. 1 ranking after defeating No. 3 Duke, 5-2, Arizona, 6-1, and Arizona State, 6-1, over the last two weeks. Prior to facing the Trojans on Friday, the Bruins will host UC Santa Barbara Wednesday.
The Trojans' Last Outing -- USC dropped a close match to 4th-ranked Pepperdine, 4-3, on Friday (March 24). The Trojans began the match by surrendering the doubles point with a loss at the No. 1 and 3 positions. At the top spot, Nicholas Rainey and Ryan Moore were defeated by Sebastien Graeff and Anthony Ross, 8-5, for the second time this season. The pairs had previously met in the final round of the ITA Regionals in November. In singles, Pepperdine recorded three wins at No. 2, 4 and 6 to clinch the match victory. Despite being down 4-2 in the contest, the final singles match at No. 1 was decided in a third set tie-breaker. Following a 7-6 win in the first set, Patrick Gottesleben surrendered quickly to Robert Kendrick in the second, 3-6. The two matched each other point-for-point in the final set, 3-3, as Gottesleben stole the final three consecutive points for the win.
Michibata Named Princeton Head Coach -- USC assistant coach Glenn Michibata was named Princeton University men's tennis head coach on March 13. Michibata will replace David Benjamin upon his retirement following the spring 2000 season.
USC News & Notes -- Freshman Daniel Langre owns the team's longest win streak of the season after winning 11-straight singles matches between Feb. 8 and March 17... Langre and senior Patrick Gottesleben went undefeated in singles matches at the USTA/ITA Team Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-27)... USC dropped 10 spots in the ITA rankings after the loss to Fresno State (Feb. 1)... The Trojans' are 1-4 against top-25 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 in the fall rankings 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 489-115 (.810) 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.
Next Up -- The Trojans will travel to the Bay Area to face Cal (April 7) and Stanford (April 8).
