March 10, 2006

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 19 South Carolina women’s tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 32 Georgia on Friday at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C. The Gamecocks fell to 8-3 and 2-1 in the SEC with the loss, while the Bulldogs improved to 6-5 and 3-0 in the league.

USC was leading on all three courts early in doubles, but Georgia was able to win two of the three positions. The Gamecock tandem of Christyn Lucas and Danielle Wiggins snagged USC’s lone victory by downing Kelley Hyndman and Shadisha Robinson 8-3 at the No. 3 slot. Caroline Basu and Natalie Frazier clinched the 1-0 lead for UGA when they upended Gira Schofield and Natasa Vuckovic 8-6 at one doubles.

Robinson gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage when she recorded a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Vuckovic at the No. 2 slot in singles.

USC’s Laura Ganzer was poised to put the Gamecocks on the board after she defeated Basu 6-0 in the first set, but with the score tied 4-4 in the second she went down with an ankle injury. Ganzer was charging the net for a short ball when she pulled up limping, forcing her to concede the match.

Wiggins kept the Garnet and Black alive with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Evgenia Subbotina on court three, but Darya Ivanov lifted Georgia to victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win at the No. 5 position against Lucas.

Hyndman won in straight sets against Megan McGavock at six singles 7-5, 6-1, and minutes later the match ended with Schofield falling 6-4, 6-4 to Frazier at the top spot.

For its next match, USC will host No. 31 Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center.

#32 Georgia (6-5, 3-0 SEC) def. #19 South Carolina (8-3, 2-1 SEC), 6-1

Singles
1. #22 Natalie Frazier, UGA, def. #60 Gira Schofield, USC, 6-4, 6-4
2. #67 Shadisha Robinson, UGA, def. #88 Natasa Vuckovic, USC, 6-1, 6-0
3. Danielle Wiggins, USC, def. Evgenia Subbotina, UGA, 6-4, 6-1
4. #86 Caroline Basu, UGA, def. Laura Ganzer, USC, 0-6, 4-4 ret. (inj.)
5. Darya Ivanov, UGA, def. Christyn Lucas, USC, 6-1, 6-3
6. Kelley Hyndman, UGA, def. Megan McGavock, USC, 7-5, 6-1

Order of finish: 2, 4, 3, 5, 6, 1

Doubles
1. Basu/Frazier, UGA, def. Schofield/Vuckovic, USC, 8-6
2. Ivanov/Subbotina, UGA, def. Ganzer/McGavock, USC, 8-5
3. Lucas/Wiggins, USC, def. Hyndman/Robinson, UGA, 8-3

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1