A Match to Remember: USC vs UCLA

When momentous events happen, we must pause and reflect on what we have witnessed. Today, marked the first time USC beat UCLA in over two years. USC has struggled against the Bruins since 1997, winning just four of 22 matches.

Last season was a disaster. USC finished with an 8-14 overall record and 1-6 in the Pac-10.

The attitude in the following summer was a somber. We all have experienced failure at some point in our lives. It is painful, but there are important questions to answer. Do we give up? Do we come back stronger?

USC chose the latter. In September, head coach Peter Smith took his USC players to Camp Pendleton , to take on two days of basic training drills alongside the U.S. Marines.

UCLA player, Haythem Abid, remarked “The attitude of the players is different. They're taking things more seriously.”

The days leading up to the USC vs. UCLA match were tense, team members and Trojan tennis fans alike on edge from the uncertainty of the impending clash against the team that ended their last season.

By glancing at the scores of the match, it is difficult to gather what actually occurred. For instance, at No. 1 singles, #77 Dejan Cvetkovic ( USC ) def. #4 Benjamin Koehlloeffel (UCLA) - 6-4, 7-6. One might assume that the Koehlloeffel, reigning NCAA champion was not playing his best. However, reality was the exact opposite, as he was playing very well.

So how did Cvetkovic manage to win? The answer is: by playing at a level higher than anyone had ever witnessed. His backhand was striking with deadly accuracy, his volleys cutting deep into the court and his forehand at-times defying the laws of physics to somehow barely scrape over the net and find their way to the corners of the court for screaming winners. In similar fashion, everyone else on the team found a way to raise their game to unprecedented levels to lead USC to a 6-1 victory over the Bruins.

There is still nothing certain about which turns this season will take as the nation's toughest opponent Georgia, lies in wait. But thus far, there is a lot for the Men of Troy to be proud of.