April 16, 2009
Up Next
The No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks (13-8, 6-4 SEC) will look to end the regular season with a victory at No. 16 Florida (12-8, 6-4) on Saturday with match time slated for 10 a.m. The winner will earn a first-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark. A win by South Carolina could give it either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed depending on the outcome of Arkansas-LSU, while a Florida win would give it no better than the fourth seed.
Last Time Out
The Gamecocks posted a convincing 6-1 victory against Alabama in their last home match of the year. South Carolina won the doubles point with wins at positions two and three and then won the top five singles slots. Gira Schofield lost just one game at No. 1 singles in her victory. Dijana Stojic clinched the win for Carolina at No. 3 singles by posting her eighth consecutive triumph. Miljana Jocic won her sixth match in her last seven tries at the No. 5 slot, while Natasa Vuckovic improved to 7-3 in the SEC at four singles. Ana Marija Zubori upped her league record to 8-2 at No. 2 singles with her win.
Florida Series History
The Gamecocks have a tall order ahead with the Florida Gators, as the team from the Sunshine State owns an all-time record of 32-2 versus South Carolina. Florida has posted 28 consecutive victories against the Gamecocks, not losing since a 5-4 setback to Carolina in the round of 16 in the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1982. South Carolina is 0-23 versus Florida since joining the SEC in 1992. Despite the disparity, the 2009 match-up figures to be a good one considering both teams are 6-4 in the conference. Three of Florida’s SEC losses have come against teams the Gamecocks defeated (Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas). Likewise, the Gators have victories against three league opponents that defeated South Carolina (Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee).
Hoping to End the Florida Streaks
Besides looking to end a 28-match losing streak to Florida, South Carolina is hoping to end two other Florida streaks as well. The Gators have currently won 63 straight home matches, last losing to Miami (Fla.) in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Florida has also posted 75 consecutive regular-season victories at home. Its last loss came April 7, 2002, when Georgia defeated the Gators 4-3. The current streak is the longest of its kind in program history, recently passing the 71 in a row compiled from 1994 to 2001. The loss to Georgia in 2002 is also the only SEC home loss Florida has taken in the regular season since the league expanded to 12 teams in 1992. Florida has an all-time SEC regular-season record of 185-12 (.939) since league expansion as well.
Schofield Named SEC Player of the Week
Senior Gira Schofield snagged SEC Player of the Week honors for the first time her career April 14. Schofield posted an undefeated record at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles for the Gamecocks in helping them earn wins over Auburn and Alabama. Versus Auburn, Schofield topped then-No. 6 Fani Chifchieva in three sets for the highest ranked win of her career. She then defeated then-No. 105 Tiffany Welcher from Alabama 6-0, 6-1. Schofield and partner Miljana Jocic posted a pair of 8-4 wins for the Gamecocks. Both of their wins clinched the doubles points against Auburn and Alabama.
SEC Race Nearing Finish Line
Only one regular-season match remains for the 2009 SEC race. Georgia is in the driver’s seat and can claim the title outright with a win at Tennessee, but the Lady Vols will grab a share of it with the Bulldogs if they can upset the nation’s No. 2-ranked team. Arkansas has already won the Western Division outright and clinched a first-round SEC Tournament bye. A win against LSU would give the Razorbacks no worse than the No. 3 seed for the tournament and they could be the No. 2 with a Tennessee loss. The winner of South Carolina-Florida will determine which school earns the other first-round SEC Tournament bye for next week.
Saturday, April 18
South Carolina (6-4) @ Florida (6-4)
Georgia (9-1) @ Tennessee (8-2)
Vanderbilt (5-4) @ Kentucky (3-7)
Auburn (3-6) @ Alabama (3-7)
LSU (3-6) @ Arkansas (7-3)
Mississippi State (1-8) @ Ole Miss (4-6)
