LOS ANGELES (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's tennis team saw its nine-match winning streak snapped in the NCAA Championship Second Round with a closer-than-it-looks 4-0 loss at No. 13 USC on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Marks Tennis Stadium.

The 2019 Regular-Season and Mountain West Tournament Champion Rebels closed their season with a record of 18-7 while the host Trojans improved to 20-7 and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional next weekend.
The teams started things off by staging a thrilling doubles session. The UNLV duo of Aiwen Zhu and En-Pei Huang, ranked 80th, led the nation's No. 1 ranked team from USC 5-2 at the top of the lineup but could not close out the upset before the Trojans won 6-4 on court three and then 7-5 on court two to grab the 1-0 lead.

Head Coach Kevin Cory's squad battled throughout the singles lineup but the Pac-12 power eventually won the first set on five of six courts. UNLV was leading in the second set on three courts when USC clinched it with straight-set victories on courts five, two and four. Samantha Li, pressed into singles duty because of a lineup change, was impressive at the bottom of the lineup, leading her opponent 6-4, 5-1 when it was halted.

NET NOTES: USC improved to 2-0 vs. UNLV in NCAA action after also having won 4-0 in the first round in Malibu, California, in 2016 … UNLV has never defeated USC in eight all-time meetings … The Rebels were attempting to reach the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in 13 career trips to the tournament.

QUOTABLE: "USC played a tremendous match today. We played much better in the doubles and gave ourselves a chance at one point to be up in four different singles matches but the Trojans showed why they are a Top 20 team. Considering various challenges we had this season, we certainly turned it around in the last month to win a conference championship, advance to the second round of the NCAA and we have a lot to be proud of."
-UNLV Head Coach Kevin Cory
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: While the team's season is complete, Rebel leader Aiwen Zhu still has plenty to play for when she travels to the NCAA Singles Championship later this month in Orlando, Florida. Zhu needs one more win to tie Aleksandra Josifoska (103 wins from 2011-14) in fifth place at UNLV. Two victories at the national event would earn the Rebel standout her first All-America designation.
 
Women's Tennis Match Results
NCAA FIRST ROUND
#13 USC 4, UNLV 0
May 5, 2019, at Los Angeles
(Marks Tennis Stadium)
 
Singles Competition
1. #105 Aiwen Zhu led #51 Salma Ewing (USC) 3-6. 6-3, 1-0 did not finish
2. #83 Angela Kulikov (USC) def. Izumi Asano (UNLV) 6-4, 6-1
3. Ana Neffa (USC) vs. En-Pei Huang (UNLV) 6-2, 3-6, 2-2 did not finish
4. Rianna Valdes (USC) def. Jovana Kenic (UNLV) 6-4, 6-4
5. Danielle Willson (USC) def. Connie Li (UNLV) 6-1, 6-3
6. Samantha Li led Becca Weissmann (USC) 6-4, 5-1 did not finish
Doubles Competition
1. #1 Kulikov/Valdes (USC) led #105 Huang/Zhu (UNLV) 6-5 did not finish
2. Weissmann /Willson (USC) def. C. Li/S. Li (UNLV) 7-5
3. Branstine/Jaeger (USC) def. Asano/Kenic (UNLV) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,2,4)