Feb. 3, 2006

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The 24th-ranked University of South Carolina women’s tennis team dropped its first match of the season Friday, a 4-3 loss to No. 31 Maryland. With the loss, the Gamecocks fall to 3-1 on the spring season, while the Terrapins improve to 2-1.

Maryland took all three doubles matches to head into singles with a 1-0 lead. Freshman Gira Schofield and sophomore Megan McGavock lost at No. 1 doubles to Ramona But and Marianne Baker, 8-5, while the team of junior Laura Ganzer and freshman Natasa Vuckovic and the pair of senior Danielle Wiggins and junior Miranda Gutierrez each lost, 8-6, at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, respectively.

Picking up wins in singles for South Carolina were Vuckovic, Ganzer and McGavock. At third singles, Vuckovic defeated Veronika Subertova, 6-1, 6-4, and Ganzer and McGavock beat Neda Mihneva, 6-4, 6-1, and Julia Graca, 7-6, 6-4, respectively. Playing in the first spot, Schofield fell to But, 6-1, 6-3, while Wiggins lost at second singles to Baker, 6-1, 6-1, and Gutierrez dropped her match in the sixth position to Michal Amir, 7-5, 7-5.

The Gamecocks return to the courts tomorrow, Feb. 4, for a match against 35th-ranked Michigan at 11 a.m. in College Park, Md. The team then has a two-week break until it hosts in-state rival Clemson, ranked 17th in the nation, Sunday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m.

FINAL RESULTS
Maryland 4
South Carolina 3

Singles:
1. Ramona But (Md.) d. Gira Schofield (S.C.) 6-1, 6-3
2. Marianne Baker (Md.) d. Danielle Wiggins (S.C.) 6-1, 6-1
3. Natasa Vuckovic (S.C.) d. Veronika Subertova (Md.) 6-1, 6-4
4. Laura Ganzer (S.C.) d. Neda Mihneva (Md.) 6-4, 6-1
5. Megan McGavock (S.C.) d. Julia Graca (Md.) 7-6, 6-4
6. Michal Amir (Md.) d. Miranda Gutierrez (S.C.) 7-5, 7-5

Doubles:
1. But/Baker (Md.) d. Schofield/McGavock (S.C.) 8-5
2. Subertova/Brooke Rogers (Md.) d. Ganzer/Vuckovic (S.C.) 8-6
3. Mihneva/Graca (Md.) d. Wiggins/Gutierrez (S.C.) 8-6