ATHENS, Ga. -- Top seed Southern California chalked up a 5-0 win to kick off its time in Athens, Georgia topping No. 16 seed Columbia on Friday morning in the NCAA Round of 16. After whipping up the doubles point, the Trojans charged on in singles, winning all but one first set and collecting a string of straight-set victories with the clincher coming from the racket of Eric Johnson on court No. 5.
The win puts USC through to the NCAA quarterfinals for the eighth year in a row. Now 29-3 overall, the Trojans will face No. 9 seed Texas at 12 p.m. ET Sunday in the quarterfinals at Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
| DI MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP |
|---|
| Singles, doubles finals recap |
| Singles: UCLA's Giron wins singles title |
| All Cal match-up for singles title, doubles final set |
| Singles: FIrst semifinalist for Texas in 21 years |
| Singles: USF's Cid continues run through Day 2 |
| Singles: Athens becomes upset city on first day |
| Championship recap Gallery |
| Final: USC wins program's 21st, school's 100th title |
| Semis: Oklahoma extends run to first title match |
| Semis: Southern Cal wins clash with Virginia |
| Quarters: UCLA ousts Ohio St. for third time in four years |
| Quarters: Oklahoma reaches program's first semifinal |
| Quarters: Southern Cal. bounces back to beat Texas |
| Quarters: Virginia advances to semifinals with 4-0 win |
| Round of 16: Ohio St. survives Fla. | UCLA gets by Tenn. |
| Round of 16: Okla. heads to quarters | UNC outlasts UGa. |
| Round of 16: Baylor sweeps Illini | Cavs beat Irish again |
| Round of 16: USC halts Columbia | Texas gets by Cal |
| Brackets: Interactive Printable |
| Individual Draws: Singles | Doubles |
 Live Scoring |
Singles play unfolded quickly, with senior Michael Grant issuing the rallying cry for the Trojan cause with a dominating performance on court No. 6. Grant won 10 consecutive games against Vermeer with a 6-0, 6-1 win that pumped USC to a 2-0 advantage. His fellow Trojans had grabbed first set wins on all but one court, as USC made strides toward the finish line. At the No. 3 spot, Quiroz put USC in position for the win with a smooth 6-2, 6-1 win by the junior lefty against Ignat.
That win from Quiroz -- his 19th consecutive victory -- put the clincher up for grabs, with Trojans in strong positions on the remaining courts. de Vroome was forcing the issue on court No. 4 after dropping his first set, while Hanfmann, Sarmiento and Johnson looked to be taking care of business on their respective courts. In the end, the Trojans delivered a quick one-two punch to finish off the Lions. It was Johnson who came through with the clincher, wrapping his No. 5 match on a 6-4, 6-4 final against Bert Vancura just a flash before Sarmiento capped his match on court No. 2. Sarmiento's 6-3, 6-2 win against Schnur topped off the match as a 5-0 Trojan victory.
