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The scoreboard was against the Trojans all afternoon, dropping the doubles point before three-plus hours of grinding singles play. Despite bravely battling into the third set, Sabrina Santamaria and Gabby Smith succumbed to their Bruin opponents, leaving the Women of Troy in four do-or-die matches.
To make matters worse, Giuliana Olmos, Madison Westby and Meredith Xepoleas all dropped the first set. The climb started there. Senior captain Zoe Scandalis led the way with the only straight set win for either team. Then, Xepoleas, Olmos and finally Westby turned around their matches, leaving the Bruins crushed under a raucous Trojan crowd at Marks Stadium.
USC finished the regular season 22-2 and 10-0 in the Pac-12, winning the conference for the first time since 2013. The Women of Troy will carry an 11-match win streak into the Pac-12 Championships (April 21-25), and they demonstrated the heart it will take to win the program's first national championship since 1985.
