May 1, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 25 University of South Carolina women’s tennis team will face Wichita State University in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Championship. The Gamecocks and Shockers will meet on the University of Miami (Fla.) campus Saturday, May 12, at 10 a.m. at Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
South Carolina is making its 13th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which stands as the 11th-longest active streak in the country. The Gamecocks have been among the nation’s top 25 since early April and have been as high as 22nd. South Carolina went 16-6 during the regular season and posted an 8-3 mark in the Southeastern Conference, good for fourth place.
“To go to the NCAAs 13 times in a row, that lets us know we’re an established program, and we look forward to continuing that in the years to come,” South Carolina coach Arlo Elkins said.
Wichita State is coming off its second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournament title after going 11-0 versus the league in the regular season. The Shockers are ranked No. 35 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and are 26-2 overall. They have one player ranked in singles with Madina Rakhim standing No. 63.
The other half of the four-team regional features the No. 9-ranked and seeded Miami Hurricanes taking on Alabama A&M University at 1 p.m. May 12. Miami was second at this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to No. 3 Georgia Tech and went 19-6. The Lady Bulldogs are making their first NCAA appearance in school history after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
South Carolina has little history with any of its three counterparts in the regional. The Gamecocks have never played the Shockers or Lady Bulldogs and have only played five matches against Miami. South Carolina and UM last met April 20, 1988, in Columbia, S.C., and the Hurricanes won 7-2. Miami holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.
The Gamecocks should have plenty of fan support during their stay in the Sunshine State, as four players hail from Florida. Senior Christyn Lucas is a Miami native and attended Gulliver Preparatory School. Other Floridians include senior Miranda Gutierrez (Tampa/Tampa Cathloic H.S.), junior Megan McGavock (Palm Beach Gardens/Palm Beach Gardens H.S.) and sophomore Gira Schofield (Boca Raton/American Heritage Boca Delray H.S.).
“We’re excited about going to Miami,” Elkins said. “We have several girls from Florida, so their relatives can see them play. We’ll be able to play some teams we haven’t seen before, and we’re happy about the chance to see some new faces. It looks like the NCAA committee upheld the integrity of the draw by moving teams around the country.”
Individuals chosen for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be announced Wednesday on the NCAA’s Web site no later than 6 p.m. The 64-person and 32-team singles and doubles brackets will be released Tuesday, May 22. Both events take place over May 23-28 in Athens, Ga., as does the round of 16 and beyond for team competition from May 18-22.
