April 19, 2002
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 17th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team beat 13th-ranked Tennessee for the second time in two weeks with a 4-1 win Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2002 SEC Women’s Tennis Tournament, hosted by South Carolina.
The win send USC to 15-6 overall and vaults the Gamecocks to their third SEC Tournament semifinal appearance in their 11th year of competition in the SEC.
Tennessee falls to 17-9 overall and awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament pairings later this month.
USC swept two doubles matches from the Lady Vols to snag a 1-0 lead. Carolina’s Jennifer Radman and Kathy Boyanovich beat UT’s 16th-ranked doubles team of Vilmarie Castellvi and Agnes Wiski for the second time in two weeks, winning 8-6. That win clinched the point thanks to a USC win at No. 3 doubles as Katarina Markovski and Ayako Suzuki downed Crystal Cleveland and Breanna Kray 8-5. Play at No. 2 doubles was suspended.
Singles action saw the USC train keep rolling, as the Gamecocks claimed wins at No. 2, 4 and 6 to secure the match.
Lynn-Yin Tan beat Agnes Wiski at No. 4, 6-1, 6-2 while Tamara Sutton brought home the clinching win at No. 6 in a 6-1, 6-1 whitewashing of Ashley Robards.
USC’s other singles point came at No. 2 singles, as Jennifer Radman was a winner over 22nd-ranked Alison Ojeda. Ojeda, who has been nursing a lower back stress fracture, was forced to retire down 3-0 in the first set. For Radman, it marks her fifth win on the year against a ranked opponent, a team high.
Carolina, which is now an even 10-10 all-time in SEC Tournament play, looks to advance to the finals for the first time. To do so, USC must defeat defending tournament champion, 2002 SEC Champion and the nation’s top ranked team, Georgia. The two meet at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center on the USC campus.
The winner of that match will face the winner of Saturday morning’s Florida vs. Vanderbilt match for the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Florida, ranked 3rd in the nation, faces the 6th-ranked Commodores.
Match Results
April 19, 2002
SEC Tournament Quarterfinals
USC 4, Tennessee 1
Doubles
1. Radman/Boyanovich (USC) def. Castellvi/Wiski (UT) 8-6
3. Markovski/Suzuki (USC) def. Cleveland/Kray (UT) 8-5
Play at No. 2 doubles was suspended when USC claimed the point.
Singles
1. Vilmarie Castellvi (UT) def. Katarina Markovski (USC) 6-1, 6-3
2. Jennifer Radman (USC) def. Alison Ojeda (UT) 3-0, ret.
4. Lynn-Yin Tan (USC) def. Agnes Wiski (UT) 6-1, 6-2
6. Tamara Sutton (USC) def. Ashley Robards (UT) 6-1, 6-1
Play at No. 3 and 5 singles was suspended when USC claimed the dual match victory.
