April 3, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. –
| Alabama Live Scoring | Auburn Live Scoring |
Fresh off its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season, the University of South Carolina men’s tennis team is set to host SEC Western Division foes Alabama and Auburn this weekend at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility. The Gamecocks, ranked 57th in the most recent ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Team Rankings, own a 9-9 overall record, including a 1-7 mark in league action, while 24th-ranked Alabama is 14-8 overall, 4-4 SEC, and 26th-ranked Auburn is 9-9, with a 3-5 conference tally. This weekend will also serve as the regular-season home finale for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina enters weekend action after snapping a seven-match conference losing streak last weekend with a 4-3 upset of then-No. 41 Arkansas. Freshman Johannes Pulsfort won a third-set tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Gamecocks. Senior Yevgeny Supeko also pulled off an upset of No. 90 Blake Strode in the match, while sophomores Pedro Campos and Diego Cubas also picked up singles victories for Carolina. Campos continues to lead the way in singles play with an overall record of 14-4 this spring, including a 5-3 mark against conference opponents.
Alabama is ranked third in the West entering weekend action. The Tide most recently suffered back-to-back losses to No. 3 Georgia and No. 12 Tennessee. In singles action, 28th-ranked Jake Baker paces the squad, while Mathieu Thibaudeau (No. 90) and Saketh Myneni (No. 120) are also ranked among the top singles competitors in the nation. Alabama holds a 17-12 lead in the all-time series between the two schools.
The Auburn Tigers are ranked fourth in the West entering their match at Florida on Friday. The Tigers recently fell in consecutive matches to No. 12 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia last weekend in their home finale. Alexey Tsyrenov ranks 37th on this week’s ITA singles list, while teammate Tim Puetz is close behind at No. 66. The Tigers hold a slight 13-10 lead in the all-time series with the Gamecocks.
Friday’s match between South Carolina and Alabama is set to begin at 2 p.m. (ET) at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility, while Sunday’s match with Auburn will begin at 1 p.m. (ET). Live stats will be available via GamecocksOnline.com.
