May 15, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis head coach Josh Goffi announced that Alex Fennell has signed a financial aid agreement to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. A transfer from Penn State, Fennell will have two years of eligibility beginning with the 2015-16 academic year.

“We are extremely excited to have Alex join the team,” Goffi said. “His work ethic and overall character resonate with our team values, so it should be an easy transition for him personally. He will add a high level of tennis to our lineup, but most importantly, he has top-half of the lineup experience in a good conference, which we will need for next year.”

In two seasons at Penn State, Fennell played exclusively in one of the top three spots in the Nittany Lions’ singles lineup, amassing 25 victories in dual-match play. As a freshman, his 16-10 dual-match record, highlighted by a 10-match win streak, came largely out of the No. 3 position, where his 15-9 record included the team’s lone singles win at then-No. 1 Ohio State and Penn State’s first singles win in a tight 4-3 decision over then-No. 28 Northwestern. He provided the match-clinching point five times for the 15-15 Nittany Lions in 2013-14.

Fennell moved up the singles lineup last season, battling five top-25 opponents on the season, with six of his nine dual-match wins coming in the No. 1 position. While the move dropped his overall record, the Pennsylvania native showed his fight with seven losses coming in a third set and a 5-4 tiebreak record.

Fennell joins incoming freshman Yancy Dennis as the newcomers for South Carolina for 2015-16. The Gamecocks lost a trio of seniors this spring, but return a pair of singles lineup staples in freshman standout Harrison O’Keefe and sophomore Andrew Schafer and add to the lineup Wood Benton and Gabriel Friedrich, who both trained with the team but did not compete in 2014-15.