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Gamecocks Travel to Alabama For Pair of SEC Duals
Men's Tennis  . 

Gamecocks Travel to Alabama For Pair of SEC Duals

Columbia, S.C. – No. 16 South Carolina men’s tennis will continue SEC action on the road this weekend in Alabama. The Gamecocks will face the 24th-ranked Crimson Tide on Friday at 5pm and will then take on No. 35 Auburn on Sunday at 1pm.

Attendance to both matches will be free and both matches will be broadcast as part of the Cracked Racquets SEC Crosscourt Cast, airing on ESPN+.

Live stats for the match versus Alabama will be available here with live streaming here. The match against Auburn will be streamed here with live stats here.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina men’s tennis is currently ranked No. 16 in the country and has a 7-7 overall record. The team is 2-1 when playing on the road this season.
  • The Gamecocks are coming off of their first SEC win of the season with 4-3 victory at Arkansas on Sunday.
  • South Carolina is home to the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week in Jelani Sarr. Sarr has twice earned the honor this season and claimed it this week after winning a three-setter over Arkansas senior Stefanos Savva.
  • In the ITA Singles rankings, senior Toby Samuel comes in at No. 49 with junior Casey Hoole at No. 96.
  • Samuel is 7-4 overall this season with a perfect 3-0 record in SEC play, all from the top of the lineup.
  • Hoole is 19-15 overall with a 2-1 record in conference play. He is 6-6 from the No. 2 spot in the lineup and 1-0 from the No. 1 position.
  • In the doubles rankings, Hoole and Samuel are the nation’s No. 10 pair. The duo is 7-2 this season and hold ranked wins over Nos. 5 and 14.

Scouting the Crimson Tide

  • Alabama is ranked No. 24 by the ITA and has an 11-7 overall record. They are 3-1 when playing on their home courts this season.
  • The Crimson Tide is 1-2 in SEC play with losses at Kentucky and Georgia and a win at Vanderbilt.
  • Alabama has two players in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 46 Filip Planinsek and No. 69 Enzo Aguiard.
  • Planinsek has played the top of the singles lineup for the Tide this season. He is 15-8 overall and 8-6 in dual play.
  • Aguiard has a 12-12 overall record and 7-7 mark in dual play. He is 5-7 from the No. 2 position and 2-0 from the No. 1 position.
  • Planinsek and Andrii Zimnokh are the only Alabama pair in the doubles rankings, coming in at No. 74. They are 14-8 overall and 8-6 in dual play. The duo has a 0-4 record from the top of the doubles lineup and 8-2 from the No. 2 position

Scouting the Tigers

  • Auburn is ranked No. 35 by the ITA and has an overall record of 11-5. They are a perfect 6-0 on their home courts this season and will face No. 25 Florida on Friday before facing South Carolina on Sunday.
  • The Tigers are 2-1 in conference play with wins at Ole Miss and Georgia with their loss coming at Tennessee.
  • There are two Tigers in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 40 Tyler Stice and No. 73 Finn Murgett.
  • Stice has led the team from the top of the singles lineup this season where he is 7-4. He is 11-7 overall and 1-1 in SEC play.
  • Murgett is 10-2 this season with a 4-2 record from the No. 2 position and 6-0 record from the No. 3 position.
  • There are to Auburn teams currently in the ITA Doubles Rankings, however the team’s No. 1 pair of Murgett and Raul Dobai has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation. They are now 6-7 and 2-0 in SEC play.

The Alabama Series

  • Alabama holds a narrow lead in the all-time series against South Carolina 25-23.
  • The two teams first faced April 26, 1968 with South Carolina winning 7-2 in Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks went on to claim the next two matches in the series as well.
  • Under Head Coach Josh Goffi, the Gamecocks are 9-5 against Alabama.
  • South Carolina has won each of the last three meetings in the series. Alabama’s last win was a narrow 4-3 victory in 2020.

The Auburn Series

  • Auburn narrowly leads the all-time series against South Carolina 23-21.
  • The two teams first faced on March 20, 1979 with South Carolina winning 7-2 in Auburn.
  • Under Head Coach Josh Goffi, the Gamecocks are 11-7 against Auburn.
  • South Carolina held a nine-match win streak over Auburn from 2016-2022 but Auburn claimed the last two meetings with a 4-2 wub during the 2022 SEC Tournament and a 4-3 win in Columbia in 2023.

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

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