February 22, 2002

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 20th-ranked Carolina Gamecocks travel to Chapel Hill Saturday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader against the North Carolina Tar Heels. USC hopes to improve on their 9-3 record while the Tar Heels (5-5) are looking to break .500. Last year, the two teams split in the season opener at Columbia. The Gamecocks lead the series 40-8. A sweep at UNC would give head coach Joyce Compton 700 career victories at Carolina. She reached 900+ overall career wins back on Feb. 13 when USC defeated Georgia Southern in a doubleheader.

USC is coming off of a three-game win streak after sweeping Charlotte 9-1 and 3-2 in a doubleheader last Wednesday night. The Gamecocks have also hit a homerun in their last four of five games. The Tar Heels finished second in the Triangle Classic held in Raleigh last weekend, as they fell 7-0 to Minnesota.

Gamecocks second baseman, Debralee Troesh, currently has a seven-game hitting streak, the longest of the season. She also leads the team with a .371 average. Troesh and freshman Meghan Cornett both lead the team with 13 hits and seven RBIs.

The North Carolina game also marks the beginning of seven consecutive road games over the next week for USC. The Gamecocks return home March 6 when they host UNC-Greensboro.