Gamecocks Perfect in Sunday Matches
Columbia, S.C. – No. 49 South Carolina played an undefeated Sunday in its 7-0 wins against Campbell and UNC Greensboro. The Gamecocks won each of their doubles matches and won every singles match in straight sets.
“We started doubles a little off-beat today, but the singles effort was solid,” said head coach Kevin Epley. “It’s good to get two wins leading into the SEC season. We look forward to a hard week of progress before heading off to Texas.”
In the match against Campbell, Ayana Akli and Ana Cruz dominated in doubles. They quickly won 6-1 in the top spot to notch the first doubles win for South Carolina.
The remaining doubles matches were closely contested. In the No. 2 spot, No. 24 Sarah Hamner and Misa Malkin won every other game before entering a tiebreak. From there, the freshman pair took off and sealed the doubles point with a 7-6 (2) victory. Play continued in the finals doubles match which was also in a tiebreak. Megan Davies and Gracie Mulville pulled ahead 5-0 before winning the match in a 7-6 (2) decision.
In singles, the match continued to move quickly. Malkin was the first to finish with an efficient 6-1, 6-2 win, securing the point with a backhand lob that her opponent could not return. Next to finish was No. 68 Elise Mills on Court 4. She took the first set 6-2 and settled in to earn the 6-0 second set win with a powerful forehand down the line.
At the top of the lineup, No. 1 Hamner played a short match against Rhona Cook. She went up 4-0 on route to the 6-2 first set result. With a mid-court forehand, she clinched the win for the Gamecocks in a 6-2 second set decision.
Play continued on the remaining courts. No. 74 Akli earned a commanding 6-0 win in her first set over Mialy Ranaivo, but the second set was closely contested. After falling behind 3-5, Akli came back to win 7-5 and put the Gamecocks ahead 5-0.
In the No. 6 spot, Cruz quickly went up over her opponent in both sets. She secured the 6-3, 6-0 win to extend her winning streak to three. The final match to finish was on Court 3 with Davies. The first set was evenly matched and went to a tiebreak, but Davies prevailed 7-6 (1). She only dropped one game in the second set to complete the 6-1 win and close out the match 7-0 for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks took on UNC Greensboro in the second match of the day and quickly earned the doubles point with wins in the top two spots. In the No. 2 spot, Mills and Lindsay Tulenko blanked their opponents 6-0. Not far behind were Cruz and Akli in the No. 1 spot who, after dropping the first game, won 6-1 to secure the doubles point. Kendall Couch and Hamner’s match in the No. 3 spot played out with the Gamecocks emerging victorious in a 6-3 decision.
In singles, No. 1 Hamner put the Gamecocks up 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 result. The matches concluded rapidly thereafter, with the next point coming from Court 6. Mulville waxed her opponent 6-0 in the first set before sealing the 6-3 second set victory.
Moments later, Malkin defeated her opponent in the No. 4 spot. She notched the 6-0, 6-1 decision to help the Gamecocks remain undefeated at home. The rest of the matches played out with the next point coming from No. 74 Akli who won 6-1, 6-2.
The final two points went to South Carolina on Courts 3 and 5, respectively. No. 68 Mills continued her impressive spring with a 6-1, 6-3 win. In the last match, Cruz notched the 6-2, 6-0 win to keep the Gamecocks perfect on the day.
South Carolina will be back in action Friday when it travels to No. 7 Texas A&M for its first SEC match of the season.
#49 South Carolina def. Campbell 7-0
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 2*, 3)
1. Ayana Akli / Ana Cruz (SC) def. Rhona Cook/ Anna-Marie Kopecka (CAM) 6-1
2. No. 24 Sarah Hamner / Misa Malkin (SC) def. Marissa Pennings / Mialy Ranaivo (CAM) 7-6 (2)
3. Megan Davies / Gracie Mulville (SC) def. Sandra Gines / Mariana Ossa (CAM) 7-6 (2)
Singles (Order of Finish: 5, 4, 1*, 2, 6, 3)
1. No. 1 Sarah Hamner (SC) def. Rhona Cook (CAM) 6-2, 6-2
2. No. 74 Ayana Akli (SC) def. Mialy Ranaivo (CAM) 6-0, 7-5
3. Megan Davies (SC) def. Marissa Pennings (CAM) 7-6 (1), 6-1
4. No. 68 Elise Mills (SC) def. Sandra Gines (CAM) 6-2, 6-0
5. Misa Malkin (SC) def. Anna-Marie Kopecka (CAM) 6-1, 6-2
6. Ana Cruz (SC) def. Mariana Ossa (CAM) 6-3, 6-2
#49 South Carolina def. UNC Greensboro 7-0
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3)
1. Ayana Akli / Ana Cruz (SC) def. Erika Barquero / Ariana Chan (UNCG) 6-1
2. Elise Mills / Lindsay Tulenko (SC) def. McCollough Perry / Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-0
3. Kendall Couch / Sarah Hamner (SC) def. Hannah Mitchell / Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 6-3
Singles (Order of Finish: 1, 6, 4*, 2, 3, 5)
1. No. 1 Sarah Hamner (SC) def. Erika Barquero (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 74 Ayana Akli (SC) def. Ariana Chan (UNCG) 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 68 Elise Mills (SC) def. Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-1, 6-3
4. Misa Malkin (SC) def. Eugenia Camacho (UNCG) 6-0, 6-1
5. Ana Cruz (SC) def. Hannah Mitchell (UNCG) 6-2, 6-0
6. Gracie Mulville (SC) def. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 6-0, 6-3
