March 31, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina men’s tennis continues SEC play this weekend, travelling to Baton Rouge, La., to take on No. 44 LSU on Fri., April 1, at 6:30 p.m. ET, before heading over to College Station, Texas, on Sunday for a matchup with No. 10 Texas A&M at 12 p.m. ET.

The Gamecocks look to build off the momentum of last Sunday’s 4-2 win over Tennessee, which broke a 10-match skid against the Volunteers. Carolina is 10-10 this season, 2-4 in SEC play.

LSU is 10-8 this season, 2-5 in SEC play. The Tigers ride a two-match winning streak into Friday’s matchup after wins against Vanderbilt Sunday and Brown on Tuesday. The Aggies, meanwhile, are 20-6 overall this season, 5-2 in league play. They split a doubleheader on Monday, topping Incarnate Word, 6-1, before falling to No. 3 TCU, 4-3.

Finding their Rhythm

It’s the perfect time of year to be playing your best tennis, and that’s exactly what sophomore Harrison O’Keefe and junior Alex Fennell are doing. With wins incredibly valuable this time of year, O’Keefe and Fennell stepped up last weekend to post a combined 4-0 mark in singles. O’Keefe, who has won four of his last five matches, took a straight-set victory against No. 18 Kentucky and clinched Sunday’s win against Tennessee. Meanwhile, Fennell captured two straight-set victories after making the move to No. 5 in the lineup.

Scouting No. 44 LSU

• The Tigers are 8-3 at home this season and have been as high as No. 30 in the ITA Rankings.
• LSU has taken the doubles point in 14 of 18 matches and is a combined 23-10 at the No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions.
• Ranked singles players: Jordan Daigle (69)
• Ranked doubles tandems: Daigle and Boris Arias (10)

Scouting No. 10 Texas A&M

• The Aggies started the season 10-0 with wins against No. 4 Baylor, No. 13 South Florida and No. 15 Columbia
• Four of Texas A&M’s six losses have come against Top-10 teams.
• Ranked in singles: Arthur Rinderknech (18), Shane Vinsant (45), Jordi Arconada (90)
• Ranked doubles tandems: Rinderknech and Vinsant (35), Arconada and Max Lunk (69)

Up Next

The Gamecocks return home for their final regular-season home weekend of the season. They will take on Auburn on Fri., April 8, at 5 p.m., before squaring off with No. 11 Florida on Sunday at noon. Following the regular season, the Gamecocks will host the SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament April 20-24 at the Carolina Tennis Center.