Women’s Tennis Continues Homestand Against No. 21 Florida

Columbia, S.C. – ­No. 32 South Carolina women’s tennis will play the third match of their five-match long SEC homestand on Saturday, hosting No. 21 Florida. The match will take place at the Carolina Tennis Center at noon.

Admission to the match is free and open to the public. Parking is available for free in the Heyward Street garage. Those not in attendance can view live streaming here and live stats here.

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is 6-5 on the season with a 1-1 mark in conference play. Three of their losses have come at the hands of top-10 opponents, two of them ranked in the top-3.
• In SEC play, the Gamecocks are 1-1 with a win over LSU and a loss to No. 2 Texas A&M.
• Two Gamecocks are in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 7 Ayana Akli and No. 14 Sarah Hamner.
• Akli’s No. 7 ranking is a career high for the senior. She is a perfect 7-0 in dual play, all from the top spot in the lineup.
• No. 14 Hamner missed the beginning of the dual season due to injury but has since accumulated a 2-2 record in dual play. She is 14-7 overall in singles.
• Akli and Hamner have also recently paired up in doubles for the first time since the fall, playing at the No. 1 position where they are 3-1. Akli and Hamner recently defeated the nation’s No. 17 pair and made their way up to No. 53 in the ITA Doubles Rankings.
• The doubles pair of Ana Cruz and Allie Gretkowski have been a staple of the lineup this season. The duo is 6-3 in dual play with a 4-2 mark from the No. 2 position and a perfect 2-0 mark from the No. 3 position

Scouting the Gators

• Florida is 6-3 overall this season and 1-1 in SEC action. The Gators have suffered two losses to Texas A&M and a loss to then-No. 25 Pepperdine.
• This match will be Florida’s first road trip since early February. They are coming off of a five-match homestand where they went 3-2.
• The Gators have a perfect 2-0 record on the road this season with wins at South Florida and Baylor.
• Florida has been lead by senior Carly Briggs this season. Briggs, ranked No. 47 by the ITA, is 12-8 overall this season and has a 4-4 record in dual play, all from the No. 1 position.
• Also in the ranking for Florida are No. 119 Sara Dahlstrom and No. 121 Anastasia Sysoeva. Dahlstrom is 8-3 overall while Sysoeva is 5-6 overall.
• The Gators also have a pair in the ITA Doubles Rankings – No. 60 Briggs and Rachel Gailis. The duo is 4-1 overall but have only played two dual matches together, winning both of them from the No. 2 position.
• Briggs and Alicia Dudeney have held down the top of the doubles lineup, going 3-3 from that position

For all the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).