Women’s Tennis Heads West for Pair of SEC Matches
Columbia, S.C. – No. 15 South Carolina women’s tennis will continue SEC action on the road this week, traveling west with stops in Columbia, Missouri, and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Gamecocks will take on the Tigers on Friday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET and will face the No. 51 Razorbacks on Sunday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m.
Live stats for the match at Missouri will be available here. Live streaming against Arkansas will be available here with live stats available here.
Gamecock Notables
- South Carolina is currently ranked No. 15 in the ITA Team Rankings. The team is 11-4 overall this season and 3-3 in SEC play. They are 1-2 in true road matches and 1-1 at neutral sites.
- The Gamecocks are coming off of a four-match SEC homestand in which they went 3-1 with wins over then-No. 16 Tennessee, then-No. 17 Alabama, and then-No. 13 Auburn. Their loss came at the hands of then-No. 10 Georgia.
- In the latest ITA singles rankings. South Carolina is the only school in the country with two players in the top-9. Graduate Ayana Akli leads the team at No. 7, followed by junior Sarah Hamner at No. 9.
- Akli has a 21-8 overall record this season and an 8-4 mark in dual play. She’s coming off of a weekend in which she defeated No. 32 Loudmilla Bencheikh (Alabama) and No. 14 Carolyn Ansari (Auburn) both in straight sets.
- Hamner is 24-6 overall this season and 11-1 in dual matches. She is 4-1 in SEC play and is currently on a four-match win streak with three of those wins coming over ranked opponents.
- Elise Mills has also put up an impressive singles performance in dual matches this season. The graduate is 7-3 in dual play and 3-2 against SEC opponents.
- In the doubles rankings, Akli and Hamner come in at No. 30 together with Akli and Olympe Lancelot ranked No. 45.
- The All-American duo of Akli and Hamner are 6-8 this season but hold ranked wins over then-Nos. 8 and 17.
- Akli and Lancleot are 7-2 together this season, however the duo has not played together since February 17 against Wake Forest.
Scouting the Tigers
- Missouri is 4-13 this season and 0-5 in conference play. The Tigers are 2-2 on their home courts with a pair of wins over Lindenwood.
- Mae Canete is the lone Tiger in the ITA singles rankings, coming in at No. 117. She is 14-7 this season and 8-4 in dual play.
- Canete is also in the doubles rankings at No. 53 with sister Christine Canete. The duo is 16-9 overall and 8-4 in dual action from the top of the lineup.
Scouting the Razorbacks
- Arkansas is currently ranked No. 51 in the ITA Team Rankings and has a record of 8-7 this season. The Razorbacks are 1-4 in conference play and 7-2 when playing on their home courts.
- Arkansas has two players in the ITA singles rankings – No. 31 Carolina Gomez Alonso and No. 112 Indianna Spink.
- Gomez has a record of 12-5 this season and a 8-4 record in dual play. She is 3-1 in SEC action and has six ranked wins under her belt this season.
- Spink has a 7-5 overall record this season, however she has only played in four dual matches where she is 2-2. Only one of those matches was against and SEC opponent.
- The Razorbacks have two pairs in the ITA doubles rankings. Morgan Cross and Anet Koskel come in at No. 36 with Cross and Spink teaming up at No. 39.
- Cross and Koskel are 7-2 together this season, all from the top of the dual lineup. They also hold a pair of ranked wins.
- Cross and Spink are 11-5 this season with a 4-2 mark from the top of the dual lineup. They have three ranked wins this season.
Series History Versus Missouri
- South Carolina is a perfect 11-0 all time against Missouri. The two programs have faced 11 times since the Tigers joined the SEC with five of those in South Carolina, five of them in Missouri, and one at a neutral site.
- Throughout the series, South Carolina has outscored Missouri by a margin of 49-13.
- South Carolina won the most recent matchup at the Carolina Tennis Center in a 4-0 shutout.
- During the last match played in Missouri, the Gamecocks won 5-2
Series History Versus Arkansas
- South Carolina leads the all-time series against Arkansas 28-8. The two programs first faced on March 19, 1990 in Columbia with the Gamecocks winning it 6-1.
- The Gamecocks won the most recent matchup 4-3 in Columbia.
- During the last meeting in Arkansas, the Razorbacks won 4-3 on March 18, 2022. South Carolina’s last win in Fayetteville was a 4-0 shutout in 2019.
- Under head coach Kevin Epley, South Carolina is 8-3 against Arkansas.
For all the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).