April 17, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 29 South Carolina men’s tennis hosts No. 10 Florida on Sat., April 18, at 2 p.m. in its final match of the regular season. Saturday’s competition will mark the final home match for seniors Jaime Cuellar, Thomas Stoddard and Joe Veeder. As part of the Senior Day celebration, the first 100 fans at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center will receive a South Carolina Tennis t-shirt, and pizza and soft drinks will be served at 3 p.m.

Heading into their final regular-season match, the Gamecocks are 15-8 on the season with an SEC record of 5-7. Gamecock junior Diego Cubas, ranked No. 55 in the nation, leads the team with a 20-12 overall record, going 9-11 in dual-match play. He is 2-6 in the SEC playing at the No. 1 spot for South Carolina. With his win last week over Auburn, Ivan Cressoni is 13-1 on the season and only one match shy of tying his career high of 14 wins. The doubles pair of Cubas and Ivan Machado hold a No 26 ranking in the nation with a 14-9 record on the season.

Florida is 15-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC competition after falling to Auburn 4-3 last weekend. Freshman Carlos Cueto, ranked No. 22 in the nation, enters the weekend with a 3-4 record in SEC play. Alex Lacroix is ranked at No. 30 in the nation and holds a 17-6 overall record, 6-4 in the SEC. He has split time at the No. 1 and No. 2 spot in singles, having success at both spots. On the doubles side, the duo of Antoine Benneteau and Joey Burkhart lead the Gators at the No. 1 spot with a 14-10 overall record. They are 6-4 in SEC play. The No. 3 doubles pair of Cueto and Lacroix boasts an impressive 20-0 record and is 10-0 in SEC competition.

South Carolina is 4-20 in the all-time series against the Gators with the last Gamecock win coming on March 11, 2001, when 55th-ranked Carolina topped No. 22 Florida 4-3 in Columbia.

The Gamecocks are in action next at the SEC Tournament, which begins on Thu., April 23, at Auburn.