Gamecocks Garner Three ITA Regional Awards
May 21, 2018
ITA Regional Awards
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina women’s tennis received three Carolina Region Awards, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced Monday.
Jeff Nevolo was named the tasc Performance ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, and Hadley Berg earned the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award and Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award.
Alongside Head Coach Kevin Epley, Nevolo helped lead the Gamecocks to a historic season full of program firsts and milestones. The Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the second straight season with the No. 10 seed, the highest in the event’s current format. At 11-2 in the league, South Carolina finished the SEC regular season tied for second place with Florida, which is tied with the 1996 team for the best finish in school history in the regular season standings.
Under Nevolo’s and Epley’s direction, the Gamecocks held a 13-match winning streak from Feb. 24-March 31, the second longest winning streak in program history and the longest streak since the 1980 team won 22 straight matches.The team went undefeated in the month of March for the first time since 1979-1980.
Berg’s awards recognized her for not just her play on the court, but also her ability to lead by example and demonstrate proper sportsmanship. Along with serving as the team captain and as a communications liason between the coaches and the players, Berg is the highest-ranked singles player on the South Carolina squad at No. 34. She finished the season with a 25-7 singles record, just one win shy of 100 on her career, with a winning percentage of .744 that ranks seventh in school history.
Berg played solely in the top half of the singles lineup this season, holding a 4-0 record at No. 1. She finished the 2018 dual match campaign with a 13-6 singles record and 14-5 doubles record, earning four-ranked singles victories, including her highest of the season over No. 16 Arianne Hartono at Ole Miss on March 3. She also garnered a spot on the All-SEC First-Team and an at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament Singles Championship.
“Hadley is always on time to practice and comes with a positive attitude, ready to motivate her teammates,” Epley said. “She leads vocally and by example, organizing bi-weekly team meetings and bonding activities.”
All regional award winners are eligible to receive the ITA’s national awards, which will be announced Wednesday.
For updates on the Gamecocks, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).
