Texas Tech University Athletics
No. 16 Lady Raiders Face No. 1 USC
May 14, 2015 | Women's Tennis
No. 16 Texas Tech will face No. 1 USC in the Round of 16 of the 2015 NCAA Championships in Waco.
May 14, 2015
WACO, Texas - No. 16 Texas Tech is embarking on something new on Friday, when the Lady Raiders face No. 1 USC at 7 p.m. at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center.
The Lady Raiders (21-6) will face the Women of Troy (23-2) for the second time in program history, but that was 34 years ago. In 1981 in Austin, USC topped Texas Tech, 9-0, en route to a 33-1 record and a No. 3 final ranking in the AIAW, the precursor to the NCAA for women's athletics.
USC was a national championship contender throughout the 1970s and 1980s, winning the AIAW national title in 1977, 1979 and 1980 and capturing the NCAA title in 1982 and 1985. The Women of Troy have not won a national title since then.
But USC seems to be on a mission this season. The Women of Troy went undefeated in Pac-12 this season and earned the No. 1 overall seed. But at the same time, USC has only advanced past the Round of 16 once in the last eight years.
Texas Tech is also on the rise. The Lady Raiders are in the midst of the best season in program history, winning a school-record 21 matches this spring. All of this was done with the nation's youngest starting lineup that features four freshmen, a sophomore and a senior.
USC has a starting lineup that features six nationally-ranked players. The Women of Troy start two seniors, a junior and three freshmen.
The Lady Raiders are led by senior Kenna Kilgo, who will be playing just outside her hometown of Crawford, Texas. Kilgo is ranked No. 70 in the nation and is one of the five winningest players in Texas Tech history. Freshmen Gabriela Talaba anchors No. 2 and Sarah Dvorak is at No. 3. Talaba was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, while Dvorak was named the ITA Texas Region Rookie of the Year.
Sophomore Lynn Kiro has held down No. 4, while freshmen Sabrina Federici and Katelyn Jackson are slotted at No. 5 and No. 6. Kiro is ranked No. 73 nationally, while Federici is No. 124.
