Trojan Tennis Wraps 2020 On Top In Shortened Season

The coronavirus pandemic put a stop to activities around the world, including all NCAA competition. When the 2020 season was suspended, the USC men's tennis team was standing tall as the top-ranked team in the nation for the fifth consecutive week — the Trojans' longest run at No. 1 since 2012. At 13-1 overall and recently crowned as the ITA National Indoor Champions, USC was looking like a solid frontrunner for the 2020 NCAA Championship under the direction of first-year head coach Brett Masi.

The Trojans were living large at No. 1 in the nation until coronavirus precautions cut short their 2020 campaign... Riley, Jake and Daniel weigh in on the impact and importance of staying safe and staying positive.#FightOn ✌️#SeniorDay pic.twitter.com/t2lpXd1Yw8
— USC Men's Tennis (@USCMensTennis) March 27, 2020

Masi had taken over the reins of the Trojan tennis program in August 2019, leading a talented USC roster that featured a strong blend of veterans and youth. Senior All-Americans Brandon Holt and Riley Smith were joined by former team manager Rae Lan to round out USC's 2020 senior class. The savvy Daniel Cukierman stood tall as USC's lone junior on the roster, and he'd work his way to rank No. 1 in the nation in singles by the close of competition. USC's sophomore class featured Mor Bulis, Bradley Frye and Jake Sands, who were all coming off of solid first seasons as Trojans. Bulis shined particularly bright in the fall and cracked the top-10 singles rankings at No. 9 in the land at the same time that his fellow Israeli teammate Cukierman stepped to No. 1. USC's two newcomers were feisty freshmen Stefan Dostanic and Ryder Jackson. Both would show their mettle in the fall, and both became mainstays in the dual-match lineup that saw the Trojans take over the nation.

Here's a look at some of the other shining moments and standout stats from USC's shortened 2019-20 campaign...
#1 team in the nation — last achieved Feb. 24, 2015
#1 player in the nation (Daniel Cukierman) — last was Steve Johnson in 2012
ITA National Team Indoor Champion — last won 2012
On Feb. 5, USC boasted 8 ranked singles players — last time was April 9, 2013
On Feb. 5, USC had 4 ranked doubles teams — last time was June 5, 2013

SPRING AWARDS:
Pac-12 Player of the Week
Daniel Cukierman (Jan. 21 | Feb. 18)
Brandon Holt (Feb. 4)

UTR/ITA Player of the Week
Daniel Cukierman (Feb. 18)

ITA National Team Indoor Championship All-Tournament Team
No. 2 singles — Daniel Cukierman
No. 4 singles — Mor Bulis
No. 5 singles — Stefan Dostanic
No. 1 doubles — Daniel Cukierman & Riley Smith

Sherwood Collegiate Cup
Daniel Cukierman - Singles Champion
Daniel Cukierman & Riley Smith - Doubles Champions

FALL AWARDS:
In fall 2019, USC had Trojans win at least one individual title at five out of seven tournaments competed in. In addition, both USC's freshmen reached tournament title matches:
SINGLES
Daniel Cukierman — Oracle ITA Masters champion
Mor Bulis — Milwaukee Tennis Classic champion
Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champion
Stefan Dostanic — ITA Southwest Regional finalist
Ryder Jackson — SoCal Intercollegiate finalist
DOUBLES
Brandon Holt / Riley Smith — ITA Southwest Regional champions
Stefan Dostanic / Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champions
Bradley Frye / Ryder Jackson — SoCal Intercollegiate champions

Players Mentioned

Mor Bulis

Daniel Cukierman

Stefan Dostanic

Bradley Frye

Brandon Holt

Ryder Jackson

Rae Lan

Jake Sands

Riley Smith