March 24, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s tennis team will travel to Alabama for their first weekend doubleheader away from home this season. USC (13-5, 2-2 SEC East) will take on the Crimson Tide of Alabama on Friday at 3 p.m. (ET) and visit the Auburn Tigers on Sunday at 12 p.m. (ET). Carolina is coming off a dramatic 4-3 upset of #25 Wake Forest on Tuesday, while Alabama and Auburn are each coming off of their own home wins this past week. The match against the Crimson Tide will be taped for delayed broadcast on The Tennis Channel (Ch. 156 on Time-Warner Digital Cable in Columbia).

The Gamecocks and the Crimson Tide have had a close rivalry over the years, and their last six matches have been decided by a total of seven points. Alabama (7-8, 0-4 SEC West), leads the overall series 15-10, including six straight wins over USC. Carolina senior Ben Atkinson is 2-0 in his singles career in dual matches against the Tide. In addition to being broadcast on tape-delay (time and date TBA), fans can follow the match via live stats on Alabama’s website, www.rolltide.com.

Against Auburn, USC trails 11-9 all-time, but the teams have split their last four meetings, including Carolina’s 4-1 win in the first round of the 2001 SEC Tournament in Lexington, Ky. The Gamecocks have struggled against the Tigers in The Plains in recent years however, and have not won in Auburn since USC’s inaugural season in the SEC, 1992. The match against No. 36 Auburn will also be available online, at the Tigers official website, www.auburntigers.com.

The 41st-ranked Gamecocks return home next weekend, April 1-3, when they host SEC East rivals Tennessee and Georgia. The Volunteers come to Columbia on Friday, April 1, and the match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The Georgia match is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 3. Both matches will take place at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility on Heyward St. adjacent to Sarge Frye Field.