On Saturday, defending pairs' national champions Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes got the ball rolling for the Trojans, winning their match, 21-11, 21-17, to claim the first point against the Wahine. Three more USC pairs would follow suite, giving the Women of Troy a 4-1 victory to start the weekend.
Up against a tough Pepperdine team later that day, the Trojans fell 3-2, snapping their program-long 29-match winning streak. Despite scoring the first point of the dual thanks to a 21-11, 21-17 win by Claes and Hughes, the Women of Troy could not outlast the Waves, losing on courts two, four and five, en route to their first loss of the season.
In need of a rebound performance on Sunday morning, USC came out firing, sweeping crosstown rival UCLA, 5-0, while securing 10 more points in the Crosstown Cup standings. The pair of Sophie Bukovec and Alexa Strange alongside Nicolette Martin and Allie Wheeler secured two quick victories on courts two and three to give the Trojans the head start. Claes and Hughes finished last, defeating UCLA's top pair, 21-19, 27-29, 15-6, to secure the sweep. To watch the rapid reaction following the rivalry match, click here.
The Trojans finished the weekend with another close dual, this time on the winning end of a 3-2 decision against Long Beach State. Tied at two, the match was ultimately decided on court three where juniors Martin and Wheeler gutted out a three-set match, winning 21-10, 16-21, 15-8 to give USC it's third victory this season.
The Women of Troy will play their first matches at home this Thursday and Friday as they host Arizona State, Florida State and Loyola Marymount. The match against the Sun Devils will begin at 6 p.m. at Merle Norman Stadium on Thursday.
Check out all the John McGillen photos from USC's victory on Sunday...
