Trojan Candy went to Marks Tennis Stadium for the Men's Tennis team match against the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. I arrived as the teams were practicing.
On Court 3 were Freshmen Thibault Forget and Tanner Smith.
The Freshman pair won their set first, and then Jonny and Yannick won their doubles. So our men won the Doubles point.
Before the Singles matches started, Trojan Candy was able to interview two new friends in the stands. Women of Troy Tennis teammates Meredith Xepoleas and Giuliana Olmos were sitting right in front of me.
I interviewed Meredith first. Meredith said the she and her mom started playing tennis at the same time. She was six years old at the time. Her family moved from Sacramento to Palm Springs. At USC, Meredith, who is a Freshman, said that she may change her major from English to History. Meredith is an accomplished writer and has already won an award for her short story, "Sal and Pep: The 12:10 to Cheyenne." She wrote a novel, but it is untitled. Asked about any hobbies, .... Meredith said that she likes to write and, not surprisingly, read! Her favorite book is Treasure Island, and she likes to read classical stuff. She said that she is not too "big into music." How does she have the time for music anyway? Her favorite food is chocolate and coffee. Finally, Trojan Candy asked Meredith why she chose USC. She said that she liked the coaches and that USC is close to her home. Trojan Candy is so glad that she is a Trojan! Such a bright future! FIGHT ON, Meredith!
Sitting next to Meredith was Giuliana "GiuGiu" Olmos. Giuliana, a red-shirt Junior, is from Northern California. She is majoring in International Relations. Her favorite hobby is shopping for clothes. Like Meredith, Giuliana likes to read. Her favorite author is James Patterson. Unlike Meredith, GiuGiu likes music. She likes Rap, R & B, Pop, Techno and Mainstream music. Quite a variety! Giuliana's favorite foods are pasta and chicken. She said that she really likes to eat carbs. Trojan Candy knows that she needs quick energy to compete and to win her matches. FIGHT ON, Giuliana!
After interviewing Meredith and Giuliana, Trojan Candy returned to the ongoing Men's tennis matches. The two Doubles Freshmen, Thibault Forget and Tanner Smith, did not play in the Singles. Two other Trojans played in the Singles matches. On Court 5 there was Sophomore Rob Bellamy, and on Court 6 there was fellow Sophomore Farren Connor.
As I walked in the stands taking pictures of the singles action, Trojan Candy saw the smiling face of a Men's tennis alumnus. Steve Johnson (4/26/2012) was in town and came to see the match. Steve won four NCAA team titles when he played at USC. He said that he travels ten months of the year on the pro-tennis circuit. How nice it was to see him again. Keep FIGHTING ON, Steve!
Unfortunately, our team was not over-powering the Tulsa team in singles. To take my mind off of the battle going on, I saw Woman of Troy tennis player Zoe Katz walk to the top of the stands. What a perfect time to interview her. Luckily, she obliged. Zoe is a Sophomore majoring in Psychology. Tennis runs in Zoe's family. Both her father and grandmother played tennis, and Zoe has been playing tennis since she was four years old. Zoe was born in France and moved to Los Angeles when she was two years old. She took French in high school at Campbell Hall, so she has maintained her bilingualism. She has lots of family here in Los Angeles. Zoe said that she love animals and that she goes with friends to shelters to care for animals. More personally, Zoe said that she has a sweet tooth. Her favorite books are biographies and comedies. She likes alternative music. Then Trojan Candy found out that Zoe is good friends with a good friend of mine. We both know Ray Sarmiento (3/11/2011)! She said that Ray is training for the Future's Tour in Connecticut and that he will be traveling on tour to Asia. Zoe promised to keep me up to date on Ray. Thanks, Zoe and FIGHT ON!
As I was interviewing Zoe, Freshman Men's tennis player Thibault Forget was hovering near us. I also noticed how gregarious he was, especially among the women tennis players. As soon as I finished interviewing Zoe, he came right up to me to say, "Hello." Naturally, I interviewed him next. Thibault told me that he has been in the United States for only two months. His English is impeccable! Right now, he is undeclared in his major. For his hobby, he likes to play music. Thibault plays the piano and the guitar. His favorite music is classical and electrical. As for food, Thibault loves sushi. How unusual a taste for someone from Rennes, France! Thibault's dad is Guy Forget who was a professional tennis player and who played for France in the Davis Cup. Thibault started playing tennis at the age of four and he still likes to practice with his dad. This keeps both of them in shape. Thibault's favorite movies are "Inception" and "Interstellar" because he said that the viewer has to think a lot in these movies. His favorite book is The Alchemist by Pado Cuehlo. Trojan Candy asked Thibault why he chose USC. He said that Coach Krzysztof Kwinta visited him in France last September and that he liked Coach Kris immediately. Plus, when Thibault came to visit Los Angeles, he loved our warm, mild weather. Our climate will allow him to play twelve months a year! Thank you for coming to USC and FIGHT ON, Thibault!
My last picture of the match is of Jonny Wang shaking hands with his opponent. Jonny was the only Trojan singles winner today. Unfortunately, we lost the match to Tulsa 5-2. There will be better days ahead for our Men's Tennis Team! FIGHT ON, USC Men's Tennis!
Trojan Candy had a fabulous day! I got to meet and interview four new friends!
Trojan Candy arrived early at the Mark's Tennis Stadium. I was able to find a seat in the front row. What a perfect seat for taking pictures!
Pat spoke a little about our proud Men's and Women's Tennis athletic heritage of 28 NCAA titles that is only one less than the 29 titles that have been won by Men's and Women's Track and Field. Then he introduced the major donors, Gary and Barbara Buntmann.
Two student athletes followed the coaches.
Women of Troy Senior Zoe Scandalis spoke first. Zoe was introduced as a two-time All-American, who has a 3.9 GPA in Political Economics. Zoe said that she is lucky to be at USC where everyone is so supportive.
Next, the Men's captain, Senior Eric Johnson, spoke next. Eric was introduced, like Zoe, as a two-time All-American. Eric has also won two NCAA Tennis National Championships at USC.
After Zoe and Eric spoke, major donor Gary Buntmann walked up to the podium with a shopping bag. Mr. Buntmann explained that the present tennis office, under the stands, is fondly called the "Garage" by the coaches and the athletes. After saying that he had a gift for Coach Peter Smith, Gary handed the bag to Coach Smith. Coach Smith looked in the bag and pulled out a box with gold wrapping. He quickly unwrapped and opened the box. It contained a garage opener!
As the audience walked over to Dedeaux Field for lunch, Trojan Candy was able to take pictures of some friends and interview, not one, but two new friends.
Eric Johnson was standing by himself, so Trojan Candy walked right over to him and asked him if I could interview him. He said that he saw fellow teammates Yannick's and Jonny's pictures and interviews in my blog (1/25/2015). I had to work fast. Eric is majoring in Accounting. He had an internship at Ernst and Young last summer and has a job offer from them after he graduates in May. For hobbies, he likes to play the guitar and video games. His favorite game is "Call of Duty." Eric's favorite food is sushi and Korean barbecue. As for music, he likes rock. Lastly, Eric's favorite movie is "Never Back Down." What an appropriate choice.... Eric is relentless on the tennis court. 
Trojan Candy has seen him play for three years so far! In last year's NCAA Championships, Eric won an award for never losing a singles match throughout the entire tournament! FIGHT ON, Eric!
I was able to take this picture of some of the Women of Troy Tennis Team with shovels.
Then, as I walked over to Dedeaux Field, I caught up with tennis alumna Jackie Owens. We talked as we walked! Jackie graduated from USC in 2013. She was a Communication Major. Now, she is working with the NFL Network. Fantastic! She said that she still has time to play some tennis. Her favorite book is Harry Potter. Jackie likes Japanese food the best. That makes sense since she was born in Los Angeles, but moved to Lahaina, Hawaii. Her parents still live in Hawaii. Jackie transferred from Pepperdine to join the Women of Troy. Thank goodness she became a Trojan! She met her boyfriend Abe Markowitz here at USC! FIGHT ON, Jackie!
As I was getting my food, I took these two pictures of the renderings of the future Men's Tennis Suite and Women's Tennis lounge. Beautiful....they certainly don't look like the Garage!
After lunch Trojan Candy saw one more friend. Former USC Men's Tennis Coach Dick Leach smiled for this picture. We had previously given him his Heritage Hall medallion. Later he graciously wrote me an email saying that it was so nice to see me today. Thank you, Coach Leach!
What a wonderful celebration! Trojan Candy can't wait to see the new tennis stadium in about a year!
Our two Women of Troy Basketball Seniors, Kaneisha Horn and Alexyz Vaioletama, were honored tonight before the Arizona State game.
Trojan Candy was able to take pictures of their families in the tunnel before the ceremony.
Her family and Coach Cooper-Dyke stood with her on the court. What a proud family! Trojan Candy has known Alexyz since she was a Freshman, when I interviewed her in Heritage Hall (6/23/2011). Her coaches and teammates know her as "X." FIGHT ON, Alexyz!
Her coaches and teammates know her as "Kane." FIGHT ON, Kaneisha!
In regulation, we were behind 37-29 at halftime and finally got ahead of the Sun Devils at the 7:23 mark, 53 to 52 only to see it end in a tie.
The game was tight through not only regulation but also two overtimes.
Unfortunately, we lost in double overtime 76-73. Our Women of Troy were valiant in battling the 12th ranked Sun Devils. FIGHT ON, Women of Troy!
Congratulations, Kaneisha! Congratulations, Alexyz!