USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC University of Southern California 2019 WOMEN’S TENNIS USC Sports Information 3501 Watt Way • Heritage Hall 103 • Los Angeles, CA 90089 Phone: (213) 740-8480 • FAX: (213) 740-7584 Tennis Sports Information Director: Katie Ryan • email: [email protected] Release #1 — January 18, 2019 USC Women’s Tennis Opens Season With Trip Abroad To Australia The Women of Troy will compete in an exhibition match against a team from the Tennis Australia National Academy, then face South Carolina in their first official match.

TWITTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM 2019 USC Women’s Tennis @uscwomenstennis facebook.com/USCWomensTennis @uscwomenstennis 0-0 OVERALL, 0-0 PAC-12 THIS WEEK TROJANS IN THE The USC women’s tennis team travels to 2018 FALL SEASON HONORS ORACLE/ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS Melbourne, Australia where they will take 2018 ITA Southwest Regional Champion Team (as of Jan. 9): NR on a team from the Tennis Australia Na- Salma Ewing (Oct. 22) Singles (as of Nov. 14): tional Academy in an exhibition match, Salma Ewing - No. 20 Ana Neffa - No. 87 and then officially open the dual match 2018 Battle of the Bay Singles Champion Danielle Willson - No. 99 season against South Carolina at the Danielle Willson (Sept. 23) Doubles (as of Nov. 14): Australian Open. Kulikov/Valdes - No. 42 2018 Battle of the Bay Doubles Champions ORACLE/ITA RANKINGS UPDATES Constance Branstine/Ana Neffa (Sept. 23) 2019 SCHEDULE/RESULTS The ITA released its first updated singles DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME and doubles rankings on Nov. 14, and five 2018 ITA All-American Championships Jan. 20 vs. Australian National Team 5pm PT Trojans were awarded national rankings. Doubles Quarterfinalists Jan. 21 vs. South Carolina (AU) 3pm PT Angela Kulikov/Rianna Valdes (Oct. 5) Jan. 31 Loyola Marymount 2pm PT Three freshmen have earned singles Jan. 31 San Diego 5 pm PT rankings in the Top 100: No. 20 Salma 2018 ITA National Fall Championships Feb. 9 vs. SMU (College Station) 11am PT Ewing, No. 87 Ana Neffa and No. 99 Dan- Invitees Feb. 10 at Texas A&M 9am PT ielle Willson. USC is one of 12 schools to Salma Ewing - Singles Feb. 16 at UC Santa Barbara 12pm PT have three singles players in the Top 100, Angela Kulikov/Rianna Valdes - Doubles Feb. 24 at California 12pm PT and one of three Pac-12 schools, joined Feb. 26 San Diego State 1:30pm PT Feb. 26 Cal State Fullerton 6:00pm PT by Stanford and Cal.

March 1 at UCLA 1:30pm PT In doubles, the Trojan tandem of Angela Kulikov/Rianna Valdes locked down the March 3 Saint Mary’s 10am PT No. 42 ranking. March 3 Hawai’i 2pm PT March 8 at Arizona* 12:30pm PT March 9 at Arizona State* 11am PT The next singles/doubles rankings will be released on Feb. 6, 2019. March 16 vs. Baylor (Indian Wells) 7pm PT March 23 at Oregon 12pm PT TROJANS DOWN UNDER March 29 California* 1:30pm PT Kicking off the 2019 season is a trip overseas to Australia to compete in exhibition March 30 Stanford* 12pm PT and regular-season matches during the 2019 Australian Open. These scheduled April 5 Colorado* 12:30pm PT matches will be the inaugural contests to take place on location during one of the April 6 Utah* 12pm PT four professional Grand Slam events. April 9 Pepperdine 2pm PT April 12 at Washington* 1:30pm PT Both the USC men’s and women’s teams made the international trip to participate April 14 at Washington State* 11am PT in the collegiate matches. April 20 UCLA* 12pm PT Apr. 24-27 Pac-12 Championships% (P12) May 12-13 NCAA Regionals@ Before the competition, both programs were able to explore the cities of Cairns and May 17-23 NCAA Team Champs$ Melbourne and visiting interesting places like the Great Barrier Reef and a crocodile May 23-28 NCAA Individual Champs$ and wildlife park. At the wildlife park, the teams were able to watch crocodiles being Home matches in Bold (at Marks Stadium) * Pac-12 match fed, play with kangaroos and hold koala bears. In addition, they were able to watch All times are local to match site % Pac-12 Championships (Ojai, Calif.) some of the greatest tennis in the world at the Australian Open. @ NCAA Regionals (Site TBD) $ NCAA Championships (Orlando, Fla.) 2019 USC WOMEN’S TENNIS Page 1 USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC

Junior co-captain Angela Kulikov Branstine blogged about her experience abroad Constance Branstine, who transferred While in juniors, she finished fourth for the USC Athletics website. from UCI last year, finished the 2018 place at the 2018 Hard Court Nation- season 12-12 in singles and 8-6 in dual als and competed in multiple Jr. Grand SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA matches. She leads the 2019 squad as Slams: the 2018 US Open, and 2017 The No. 13 ranked South Carolina Game- a team captain. Wimbledon. cocks will face the Women of Troy in the first dual match of the season. South Kulikov While competing in the 16-Under age Carolina has three nationally ranked Angela Kulikov finished her 2018 sopho- group, Ewing earned a national USTA players: No. 12 Ingrid Gamarra Martins, more campaign ranked 58 in the nation ranking of No. 48. In 2016, she decided No. 25 Paige Cline and No. 69 Mia Horvit. in doubles with her partner, Valdes. She to focus on competing internationally In addition, the Gamecocks have three went 6-12 in singles and 8-7 in dual and quickly rose to a notable ITF ranking doubles pairs nationally ranked: No. 11 matches. She leads the 2019 squad as as the No. 120 junior player in the world. Horvit/Martins, No. 23 Davies/Rohra- a team captain. bacher and No. 59T Martins/Chinellato. She was also the 2017 WTA Stellenbosch Kulikov has made a name for herself in $15k Champion and was a 2016 ITF LIVE STATS/VIDEO the world of football. She created an In- Costa Rica Grade 1 finalist. USC’s match against South Carolina stagram handle to house her alter-ego, will be broadcast on ESPN3, and live the QB Chick. She posts videos of her- Jaeger streamed online at WatchESPN. self throwing, playing flag football and Freshman Estella Jaeger hails from doing trick shots. The account has over Delbrück, Germany where she prepped FALL SEASON 3,500 followers and some of her videos at ISP International School. Jaeger is The 2018 fall tournament season proved have reached over 20,000 views. She well-versed in international competition to be a strong preview of what the team has been featured on Spectrum News since she began competing worldwide has to offer. Freshman Salma Ewing de- LA and CBS LA, as well as in a feature in 2015. She holds an ITF Junior Singles feated four nationally ranked opponents story in the LA Times. title in Switzerland, as well as two ITF and won the 2018 ITA Southwest Re- Junior Doubles titles in Doha, Qatar and gionals Championship title. In addition, Van Alphen Oslo, Norway. She has been competing freshman Danielle Willson won the 2018 Sydney Van Alphen went 5-8 in singles in professional tennis events since 2017. Battle of the Bay singles championship and 0-4 in dual matches to conclude her title, and the duo of Constance Brans- 2018 sophomore season. In addition to her ITF titles, Jaeger has tine/Ana Neffa took home the doubles advanced to the singles semifinals in championship. USC’s top doubles pair of Weissmann multiple ITF events, achieving a high junior Angela Kulikov and senior Rianna Becca Weissmann, who transferred junior ITF ranking of 326. In November Valdes defeated five nationally ranked from LSU, finished the 2018 season 2017, she competed in her first pro-cir- teams and reached the quarterfinals of going 18-8 in singles and 9-6 in dual cuit event where she advanced through the 2018 ITA All-American Champion- matches. She leads the 2019 squad as three qualifying rounds to reach the ships. In addition, Ewing (singles) and a team captain. main draw of a $15,000 event. Kulikov/Valdes (doubles) were invited to compete at the 2018 ITA National Fall Corcoleotes At the age of 15, Jaeger was the No. 1 Championships. Alexa Corcoleotes returns as a sopho- ranked junior player in Germany. When more for the Women of Troy. She con- she was 14, she was voted “Female RETURNERS cluded her 2018 freshman campaign Athlete of the Year” in Delbrück, Ger- 8-9 in singles and 2-5 in dual matches. many, when she helped her state win Valdes the 2014 German Team Championship USC has six Trojans returning for the NEWCOMERS title playing in the #1 position and going 2019 campaign. Rianna Valdes is the The Women of Troy welcome four new- undefeated through the tournament. lone senior on the Trojan squad who comers to the squad: three freshmen Jaeger also won the 2014 German Junior Rianna Valdes concluded her junior and one transfer. Doubles Championship, has twice been season ranked No. 105 in the nation runner-up (2014, 2016) and twice fin- in singles and No. 58 in the nation in Ewing ished in third place in the German Junior doubles with her partner, Angela Kulikov. Freshman Salma Ewing from Lakewood, Singles Championships (2014, 2016). She earned recognition as an All-Pac-12 Calif. was named the No. 1 recruit in the Honorable Mention. She went 14-7 in 2018 tennis recruiting class by Tennis Neffa singles and 11-9 in doubles with partner Recruiting Network and was ranked the Transfer sophomore Ana Neffa joins Kulikov in 2018. No. 5 Freshman/Newcomer in the na- the Trojans after leaving St. Thomas tion to begin the 2018 fall season. University (Miami) where she did not

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play tennis. tors of the ITA through June of 2018. SWAIN She and her mother, Sue Swain, were the Neffa, who is originally from Key Bis- Alison Swain enters her second season nation’s top-ranked mother/daughter cayne, Fla., had an ITF Junior ranking as the USC women’s tennis head coach. doubles team in 2003, winning both the of #111 and a WTA ranking of #483 She went 13-10 (.565) in her first season National Mother/Daughter Indoor and in the world, and she earned multiple at Troy. Grass Court doubles tourneys. She has notable ITF tournament wins including been an instructor in indoor cycling and over the #69 and #198 ranked players Swain built a women’s tennis dynasty downhill skiing, as well as a white water in the world. at Williams College by leading the Ephs rafting guide. to 8 NCAA Division III team champion- Her mother, Rosasana De Los Rios, was ships, including in 2017. WOOTTON a professional tennis player from Para- Chris Wootton enters his second year guay and was the only female tennis Swain posted an .889 winning percent- as the USC women’s tennis assistant representative for Paraguay in the 1992 age (224-28) in her 10 seasons (2008- coach. Before coaching at Troy, he and 2000 Olympics. Her father, Gustavo 17) at Williams, including 48-2 in NCAA coached for one year at Williams Col- Neffa, was a professional soccer player tournament play. She led the Ephs to 8 lege with Swain. who played for multiple Paraguayan and NCAA team championships, including Italian teams. in each of her first 6 seasons (an NCAA Before his year with the Ephs, Wootton Division III record and tying Stanford for was the men’s graduate assistant for Willson most consecutive at any level) as well as the University of Texas at Tyler, where he Wrapping up the newcomers is Danielle in 2015 (going 25-0) and the 2017 cam- coached the Patriots to an 18-10 overall Willson, a freshman from Corona del paign. In her other 2 seasons, Williams record and their eighth American South- Mar, Calif. Willson helped to lead Corona was the NCAA runnerup in 2016 and was west Conference title. That season, UTT del Mar High school to become the third in 2014. She also helped Williams reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA 2017 CIF Champions and Pacific Coast win 5 conference championships. Division III National Championships. League Champions. She was crowned the 2017 CIF Singles champion and was She was named the 2013 ITA National Before becoming a coach, Wootton named a 2017 and 2018 High School All- Division III Coach of the Year, was a competed for the men’s tennis team American. She was the 2018 Southern 5-time conference Coach of the Year at Mississippi College (2011-13) and the California Tennis MVP as well as the and twice (2010-13) was the ITA North- University of Texas at Tyler (2013-15) 2018 Pacific Coast League MVP. In addi- east Coach of the Year. She produced 2 where he graduated with a bachelor’s tion, she was selected to the All-Pacific NCAA champion doubles teams and a degree in business administration. Coast League First Team all four years trio of NCAA singles runners-up, along While competing at UTT, Wootton was in high school. with 18 All-Americans, 2 ITA National named an All-American in doubles in Senior Players of the Year and an ITA Na- 2015. He is the oldest All-American in ACADEMICS tional Most Improved Senior of the Year. NCAA history in any sport across all The USC women’s tennis team recorded divisions as he earned All-American a stellar cumulative GPA of 3.375. As She also was an assistant professor of status at age 39. a whole, the team was recognized as physical education at Williams. a 2018 ITA All-Academic Team. This Wootton taught tennis throughout the honor is presented to a team that has After graduating from Williams in 2001 South between the years of 1995 and a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or above (on with a degree in American studies, she 2011, when he coached over 50 NCAA a 4.00 scale). taught eighth grade and coached the college tennis players and seven ATP/ girls’ tennis team at Woodward Acad- WTA touring pros. In 2009, he was Angela Kulikov and Rianna Valdes were emy in College Park, Ga., for 3 years named the Director of Tennis at a each honored by the ITA as Scholar-Ath- (2002-04), winning the region each 14-court public tennis facility in Jack- letes for their outstanding performance year and getting to the state finals in son, Miss. in the classroom. An ITA Scholar-Athlete 2004. She received a master’s degree must be a varsity letter winner, have at in education from Washington in 2006 He played professionally for six years least a 3.50 GPA and have been enrolled and then taught upper schoolers at Tel- collecting both singles and doubles wins a their present school for at least two luride (Colo.) Mountain School for a year over top 100 ATP players. semesters. (2006-07) before returning to her alma mater to take the Williams head job in As a youth player, Wootton was ranked in In addition, Kulikov was selected to the the summer of 2007. the Top 25 in both singles and doubles Pac-12 All-Academic First Team, and in the Boys 18’s in the USTA in 1994. He Valdes earned placement on the Pac-12 Swain is a native of Bainbridge, Wash. earned the Reebok U.S. National Tennis All-Academic Second Team. She is a member of the board of direc- Player of the Year Award in 1991 at the

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age of 15. Manasse played professionally where she earned one WTA point in doubles. MANASSE TENNIS TALENT Rachel Manasse, who spent the last The USC women’s tennis program has year as the head men’s and women’s a strong legacy claiming seven team tennis coach at Occidental College in national championships, five singles Los Angeles, begins her first season national champions and two doubles as the USC women’s tennis volunteer championship pairs. It has produced 94 assistant coach. All-Americans, one Honda Award winner and other various ITA National Awards. During her tenure with the Tigers, both USC also has seven former Trojans cur- of her teams were regionally ranked rently competing professionally: Kaitlyn in the West for Division III. The men’s Christian, Maria Sanchez, Danielle Lao, team closed out the year with the No. Sabrina Santamaria, Madison Westby, 16 rank after Manasse brought in the No. Zoë Scandalis and Giuliana Olmos. 20 Division III men’s recruiting class in the country, while the women finished the season with the No. 18 rank. In ad- dition, both programs were named ITA All-Academic teams.

Before coaching at Occidental, Manasse was an assistant coach for the Clare- mont-Mudd-Scripps women’s tennis team for three years. While coaching the Athenas, her team went 75-9 overall and 31-1 in Southern California Intercol- legiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play. In addition to winning three SCIAC Championships, the Athenas competed in the NCAA Division III tournament each year, including a third place finish in 2015.

Manasse also brings a wealth of strength and conditioning knowledge as she is a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Condition Association and worked as a strength and conditioning coach during her time at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Before coaching at the collegiate level, Manasse was the Director of Operations at RAMP Tennis Academy in Carson, Calif. and was also a tennis instruc- tor at RAMP Tennis Academy and the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Manasse graduated from California State University Long Beach in 2012 with a degree in nutrition and dietetics and a minor in chemistry. She was a member of the 49ers women’s tennis team and was nationally ranked in both singles and doubles. After her collegiate career,

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2017-18 USC WOMEN’S TENNIS

SINGLES #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 DUAL PAC-12 OVERALL STREAK Constance Branstine ------2-2 L1 Alexa Corcoleotes ------2-1 L1 #20 Salma Ewing ------11-3 L1 Estella Jaeger ------3-2 L1 Angela Kulikov ------2-3 L1 #87 Ana Neffa ------3-1 L1 Rianna Valdes ------1-3 L1 Sydney Van Alphen ------2-3 L1 Becca Weissmann ------6-2 W1 #99 Danielle Willson ------10-1 W1 Totals ------42-21

DOUBLES #1 #2 #3 DUAL PAC-12 OVERALL STREAK Branstine/Jaeger ------1-0 W1 Branstine/Neffa ------3-0 W3 Branstine/Weissmann ------3-1 L1 Corcoleotes/Van Alphen ------2-0 W2 Ewing/Willson ------2-1 L1 Jaeger/Weissmann ------1-0 W1 Kulikov/Jaeger ------1-0 W1 #42 Kulikov/Valdes ------11-3 L1 Weissmann/Willson ------2-0 W2 Other (Nederstigt/Willson) ------2-1 L1 Totals ------28-6

(rankings and records as of Nov. 28)

CLINCHERS

TROJAN DOUBLES Record when... doubles point won: 0-0 doubles point lost: 0-0

TROJANS IN THE 2018-19 ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS... Pre/S11 N14 J9 J23 J30 F6 F13 F19 F26 M5 M12 M19 M26 A2 A9 A16 A23 M2 M22 M29 USC -- -- NR ------

Constance Branstine -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Alexa Corcoleotes -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Salma Ewing #5 F/N 20 • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Estella Jaeger -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Angela Kulikov -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Ana Neffa -- 87 • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Rianna Valdes -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Sydney Van Alphen -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------’ Becca Weissmann -- -- • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------Danielle Willson -- 99 • • • -- • -- • -- • -- • ------

Kulivov/Valdes 27 42 • • • -- ª -- • -- • -- • ------

• denotes only team rankings released on particular date 2019 USC WOMEN’S TENNIS Page 6 USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC • USC

2019 WOMEN’S TENNIS ROSTER PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Constance BRANSTINE NAME HT YR EXP HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL / COLLEGE) bran-STINE Constance Branstine 5-9 Jr. 1V Orange, Calif. Villa Park HS / UC Irvine Alexa Corcoleotes 5-10 So. 1V Mountain View, Calif. K12 Academy Alexa CORCOLEOTES Salma Ewing 5-9 Fr. HS Lakewood, Calif. Laurel Springs cor-co-lee-O-tis Estella Jaeger 5-7 Fr. HS Delbrük, Germany ISP International Angela Kulikov 5-7 Jr. 2V Sun Valley, Calif. Connections Academy Estella JAEGER Ana Neffa 5-7 So. TR Key Biscayne, Fla. Homeschool / St. Thomas University YAY-ger Rianna Valdes 5-7 Sr. 3V Boca Raton, Fla. Allendale Academy Sydney Van Alphen 5-6 Jr. 2V Newport Beach, Calif. Connections Academy Salma EWING YOU-ing Becca Weissmann 5-7 Jr. 1V Loveland, Colo. Connections Academy / LSU Danielle Willson 5-11 Fr. HS Newport Beach, Calif. Corona del Mar HS Angela KULIKOV KOO-lee-kov HEAD COACH: Alison Swain (2nd season) ASSISTANT COACH: Christopher Wootton (2nd season) VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT: Rachel Manasse (1st season)

CONSTANCE ALEXA SALMA BRANSTINE CORCOLEOTES EWING

ESTELLA ANGELA ANA RIANNA JAEGER KULIKOV NEFFA VALDES

SYDNEY BECCA DANIELLE VAN ALPHEN WEISSMANN WILLSON

HEAD COACH ASSISTANT COACH VOL. ASST. COACH ALISON SWAIN CHRISTOPHER WOOTTON RACHEL MANASSE

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