A team tennis match is a race to four points. After they battle for one doubles' point, each of the six singles matches are valued equally. So while #1 Steve Johnson is the star of stars, he counts the same as USC's #6 Peter Lucassen.
In search of a third straight national championship, head coach Peter Smith has leaned on Johnson to lead the charge and then freshmen #4 Ray Sarmiento (pictured below) and #5 Emilio Gomez (pictured right) to bring home the victory.
Johnson has won 27-straight matches overall and he usually banks his point quickly. He has not dropped a set in over a month (April 19 vs. UC-Irvine).
While the neophytes sometimes make it more interesting, they are nearly as dependable. Sarmiento has won 10-straight matches in team competition since returning from an early season wrist injury.
Gomez has filled the role of closer. In the Pac-10 decider at UCLA, he rallied from a set down to win 6-4 in the third and secure the conference crown.
The trio has not lost a singles match in the last 10 team tests. If they can keep that streak alive, the threesome will likely be celebrating a three-peat.
(Photos courtesy of Pac-10 and Daily Trojan)
