Pac-12 announces tennis players of the week

SAN FRANCISCO - USC senior Eric Johnson and USC freshman Madison Westby were named the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Players of the Week for play from Feb. 9-15, the Conference office announced today.

Johnson (San Jose, Calif.) posted three singles and two doubles victories to drive the Trojans to a fourth-straight trip to the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship. USC posted dual wins against three ranked opponents, besting No. 22 Penn State in the Round of 16 before beating No. 8 Ohio State in the quarterfinal in a rematch of the 2014 ITA Indoors title match. USC wrapped up the weekend with a 4-1 win over No. 4 Georgia. Johnson pinned up straight-set singles wins in all three of his matches, and partnered with Max de Vroome in doubles for two outright wins and a match that was suspended at 5-5. 

Westby (Tulsa, Okla.) had the heroic clincher for the Trojans in 4-3 upset of No. 11 Vanderbilt. The freshman posted a doubles win to help the Trojans earn the doubles point, then pulled out a three-set comeback win over No. 68 Marie Casares to give USC the extra singles point it needed for the dual victory. The next day, Westby won in doubles again then added the first singles win of an eventual 7-0 win over No. 25 Texas. Westby is now on a five-match singles win streak, holding a 13-4 overall singles record. 

Johnson’s honor is the first of his career and the 42nd for the USC men. Westby’s honor is also the first of her career and 31st for the Trojan women. 

The USC men wrapped up action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships today, losing in the final match to Oklahoma in the championship. The Trojan women head to the Bay Area to play at California on Friday, Feb. 20 then at Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Feb. 21. For more information, including a full schedule, visit www.pac-12.com.

Also Nominated
Men: Naoki Takeda, ARIZ; Jake Douglas, WASH. 
Women: Lauren Marker, ARIZ; Klara Fabikova, CAL; Marlou Kluiving, ORE. 

2015 PAC-12 TENNIS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK