March 12, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 15 South Carolina enjoyed another big jump in the national ranking last week and could get another boost with a successful weekend at a pair of top-six opponents. In their first SEC road matches of the season, the Gamecocks travel to No. 6 Tennessee for a 2 p.m. (ET) match on Fri., March 13, before working their way back home via Athens, Ga., for a 1 p.m. matchup with the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs on Sun., March 15.
South Carolina (12-1, 2-0 SEC) puts its nine-match win streak on the line this weekend after opening SEC play with a pair of wins last weekend at Sam Daniel Tennis Center. The Gamecocks topped then-No. 37 Vanderbilt on Friday and battled past then-No. 11 Kentucky on Sunday, both by scores of 5-2. Each of the singles positions contributed at least one win over the weekend with juniors Diego Cubas, ranked 64th in the country behind a 19-5 record, and Pedro Campos (18-6, 2-0 SEC) each scoring a pair of victories at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions, respectively. The Gamecocks have gotten an early boost with good doubles play so far this spring, winning the doubles point in all but one match to date. Cubas and doubles partner Ivan Machado scored a pair of wins over top-30 opponents last week at No. 1 doubles after the Gamecock duo entered the week ranked 64th in the country.
Tennessee is 8-3 this season and 1-2 so far in SEC play. The Vols opened league play with a 5-2 loss to then-No. 31 Kentucky before splitting their matches last weekend with a win over Mississippi State 5-2 and a loss to then-No. 10 Mississippi 6-1. Sophomore John-Patrick Smith is the nation’s 10th-ranked player with a 5-3 record at the No. 1 singles position this spring, including a 1-1 mark in the SEC. Playing mostly at the No. 2 singles spot, sophomore Boris Conkic is ranked No. 38 with a 7-2 dual-match record, including an 0-1 docket in league play. The Vols boast a top-10 doubles team as well as Smith and junior Davey Sandgren are ranked No. 9 in the country with a 7-3 record in the No. 1 doubles position for Tennessee.
The fourth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are 12-2 this season but just 1-1 in the SEC after falling at Ole Miss last weekend. The Bulldogs are 7-0 at home this season and have not lost a match at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex since April 2005 (54 matches). Georgia has three singles players ranked among the nation’s top 85, led by No. 7 Nate Schnugg. The junior All-American is 27-8 overall this season and boasts a 15-6 mark against ranked opponents. He is 10-1 in dual match play at No. 1 singles. Playing largely in the No. 2 spot, junior Jamie Hunt is 60th in the country behind an 8-3 record that includes a 1-1 mark in league play. He and Schnugg combine for the Bulldogs’ No. 1 doubles team and rank 12th in the nation with a 9-3 dual-match record. Sophomore Javier Garrapiz rounds out the trio of nationally-ranked singles players in the Bulldog lineup, toting a No. 84 ranking with an 11-0 record in dual-match play. He plays mostly in the No. 3 position for Georgia, where he is 9-0 this spring.
Tennessee holds a 23-17 edge in the all-time series against the Gamecocks after winning the last two meetings. South Carolina is 6-8 against the Vols in Knoxville after splitting the last two meetings on Tennessee’s home courts. The Gamecocks are 6-25 against perennial national power Georgia, with 15 of the last 20 meetings played when the Bulldogs were ranked in the nation’s top five. The Gamecocks’ most recent victory came on April 3, 2005, in a 4-3 decision when the Bulldogs were ranked eighth in the nation.
