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April 13, 2007

Columbia, S.C. – The University of South Carolina men’s tennis team will compete in its last regular season match Saturday when they take on the University of Florida at the Sam Daniels Tennis Facility in Columbia. The match time is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is free to the public. Live stats will also be available for Saturday’s match at USCsports.com

The Gamecocks are entering Saturday’s SEC eastern division showdown ranked No. 59 in the country after compiling an 11-12 record on the season, and a 2-8 mark in conference play. The Gamecocks are looking to put an end to a five-match losing streak with the most recent a 6-1 loss to Clemson on Wednesday. The Gamecocks have a number of positive spots to look at over the previous few matches, which include both Yevgeny Supeko and Pedro Campos defeating ranked opponents, and Pedro Rodrigues claiming an impressive three set come from behind victory over Alabama’s Sammy Struyf. Saturday’s match against the 17th-ranked Gators will be the sixth straight match in which Carolina has seen a nationally ranked team.

A look at the Gators
The Gators come to Columbia carrying an 11-5 overall record with a 6-3 showing in the SEC. Florida has won four out of its last five matches including the most recent a 7-0 shutout over the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators have two players in the top 10 nationally in No. 3 Jesse Levine and No. 10 Greg Ouellette. The two also combine to form the country’s No. 6 doubles tandem. Levine is sporting an impressive undefeated, 16-0 record on the season, which has seen the freshman play every one of his matches at the No. 1 singles slot. The most impressive victory of the year came against No. 1 John Isner of Georgia in a three-set match that went to a tiebreaker. Ouellette is 14-3 on the season with all action coming at the No. 2 singles position except for a single victory at the No. 1 position. The pair also holds a 13-2 record in doubles when competing together.

The series history
When looking back at the history of the two school’s meetings, Florida holds a dominating advantage. The Gamecocks are 3-18 against the Gators, and have lost 17 out of the last 18, with the last victory coming in 1998. The Gamecocks fell 7-0 during last season’s match in Gainesville, and dropped a tough 4-1 contest in last year’s SEC quarterfinals.

Coming up next The Gamecocks will head to Baton Rouge next for the SEC Tournament.