Feb. 26, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 37 University of South Carolina men’s tennis team takes on No. 40 Georgia Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center in Columbia. Match time is set for 2 p.m. and live updates will be available on USCsports.com.

Coming off a weekend split, the Gamecocks are looking for win No. 8 and the first in three tries vs. an ACC opponent on Tuesday against the Yellow Jackets. South Carolina fell to Elon, 4-1, on Saturday in Columbia while missing a couple of players due to injury. The team recovered nicely on Sunday, winning a 4-1 match against a feisty Samford squad. The Gamecocks won the doubles point, thanks to victories by redshirt sophomore Thomas Stoddard and junior Joseph Veeder at the No. 3 position and senior Pedro Rodrigues and Ivan Cressoni and the No. 2 spot. Junior Yevgeny Supeko (No. 3), Rodrigues (No. 1) and freshman Pedro Campos (No. 2) scored points with singles victories to snap a three-match losing streak and give Carolina its seventh win of the year.

Supeko sports an active 11-match win streak in singles and sits at 9-0 in dual matches. He is ranked No. 58 in the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis singles poll. Supeko and Campos are also No. 42 in doubles.

Georgia Tech carries a 3-4 record into Tuesday’s contest. The Jackets have been tested by a tough schedule. South Carolina is the third SEC opponent of the season for Tech after losses to No. 1 Georgia, 7-0, and then-No. 40 Auburn, 6-1. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets fell to No. 17 Texas, 6-1, on the road.

South Carolina owns a commanding lead (25-6) in the all-time series Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets have been victorious in the last two contests in 2004 and 2005. The Gamecocks’ last win in the series came in 2003 by a score of 5-2 in Atlanta.

Yellow Jacket junior David North is ranked No. 69 in the most recent Fila Collegiate Tennis singles poll. North and classmate George Gvelesiani combine to form the No. 30 doubles team.

Historically, the Gamecocks have been a tough out at home. All-time, South Carolina has collected a 415-127 record playing at home for a .766 winning percentage. That record includes a 7-2 mark in Columbia so far this season.

Tuesday’s match serves as a final tune-up before the start of Southeastern Conference play. The Gamecocks will open on the road, playing at No. 54 Mississippi State on Friday, March 2, and at No. 4 Mississippi on Sunday, March 4.