May 8, 2003

The USC women’s tennis team head to Durham, N.C. to open up the 2003 NCAA women’s tennis tournament. The appearance for South Carolina is their ninth straight in the NCAA Tournament and their 13th overall. The streak of nine straight is the longest active streak by any women’s athletic team at USC. The Gamecocks, 13-10 overall, will kickoff the tournament by facing the 15-5 Pennsylvania Quakers at Ambler Tennis Stadium at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The meeting between Penn and USC is the first ever between the two schools, however USC holds a 2-0 record against Ivy League opponents. The winner of the USC-Penn match will meet the winner of the Duke-Winthrop match at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Blue Devils (26-2) come into the tournament with the number three overall seed while Winthrop (19-1) was an automatic qualifier by winning the 2003 Big South Tournament.

The winner of the Saturday match will advance to the round of 16 in Gainesville, Florida.