Jan. 31, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – The University of South Carolina women’s tennis team will hit the court for the first time this season on Tuesday against the Furman Paladins at 5:00 P.M. in Greenville. The Gamecocks are coming off a 14-10 season where they advanced to their 10th straight NCAA Tournament. USC opened up the tournament with a 4-1 win over Wake Forest before dropping the second round match.

The Gamecocks are led by a young but talented group of players. USC’s top four players include three sophomores and one freshman. Danielle Wiggins, who was named second team All-SEC in 2004 returns as the number one singles player. Other than Wiggins, USC will return nine of their 10 players from 2004 including all six single starters.

After the match with Furman on Tuesday, USC will return home to face Michigan on Friday at 2:30 before facing Maryland on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The Gamecocks defeated Maryland last season 5-2 in Ann Arbor while dropping the match with Michigan 6-1.