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Trojans face Bruins in a Pac-10 showdown

The No. 4 men's tennis team plays No. 5 UCLA for more than bragging rights.

Merisa Jensen

Media Credit: Nick Muellerleile | Daily Trojan Sole senior | Kaes Van't Hof is the only player to be honored in today's Senior Day ceremony. He is riding a 12-game winning streak in singles.

It doesn't get any bigger than this.

It's Senior Day for the USC men's tennis team, but it also happens to be the day the Trojans play their crosstown rival for the Pac-10 title.

No. 4 USC faces off against No. 5 UCLA today at 3 p.m. at Marks Stadium with both teams undefeated in the Pac-10. It's a day the Trojans have been waiting for since last season when they lost the conference title at UCLA.

"I was very happy when [UCLA] won their match against ASU," USC coach Peter Smith said. "I wanted this match to be everything it should be."

The match is one the team doesn't think needs any hype.

"It builds itself up enough that you don't need to do anything extra on your own," said Kaes Van't Hof, USC's only senior to be honored. "Everybody else will provide that extra energy for you and you just gotta keep yourself level-headed in order to play properly and play as well as you can."

The Trojans (19-3, 6-0 Pac-10) are hoping for a big crowd, inviting the band and the Song Girls, while providing In-N-Out for 7th Man Club members.

"We're gonna have a good crowd behind us and we're gonna have home court advantage … especially being undefeated here the last two years, it will definitely be an advantage for us," Van't Hof said.

The Trojans have not lost a match at Marks Stadium since 2006, but they know they're in for a tight match against the Bruins(19-1, 6-0).

"It's gonna be close, we know that," Smith said. "I think that's all the more reason it will be fun for everyone to watch and fun to be a part of."

USC is ready for the challenge.

"Let's put it all on the line," Smith said. "This is just a step along the way toward the national title. That's what I want for this program."

Winning the doubles point will be an asset for the Trojans and they are confident in the way the team has been playing lately.

"I think we're playing some good doubles now, so I think we've got a good chance at the doubles point," Van't Hof said. "Everybody's starting to play well and this is the time to start playing well."

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