Feb. 12, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis travels to Raleigh, N.C., to take on No. 58 NC State on Sun., Feb. 13, at noon. The Gamecocks won their last two outings, topping Charlotte and Appalachian State in a doubleheader at home last weekend to lift their season record to 3-4.

A pair of Gamecocks reached double-digit singles victories last weekend as South Carolina won 15 of the 18 matches contested in the doubleheader. Sophomore Alexander Kostanov is 11-7 on the season behind the strength of his 5-1 singles record in dual matches. His victories clinched both matches last weekend. Junior Ivan Machado captured both his singles matches last week to lift his season mark to 10-8.

In doubles play, South Carolina won the point in both matches last weekend, just the third time they have started a dual match with the lead this season. Despite switching partners and positions between the two matches, Kostanov was involved in clinching both points.

NC State enters the weekend with a 5-3 record after pushing past No. 70 Northwestern Friday afternoon. Three NC State players are nationally ranked, and junior Jaime Pulgar leads the trio in the 61st slot. He is 12-5 overall, including a 5-2 mark in the No. 1 singles spot this spring. Three of his five losses have come against top-10 opponents. Junior Dominic Hodgson is 8-7 this season with a 5-3 dual-match record. Sophomore Dave Thomson rounds out the group with a No. 106 ranking and an 11-8 overall record. He is 4-4 in dual-match play.

After Sunday’s road trip, the Gamecocks return home for their next three matches, beginning Sun., Feb. 20, against USC Upstate. SEC play kicks off on Fri., March 4, against Arkansas.