Feb. 27, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 43 South Carolina looks to continue its winning ways as it hosts a weekend doubleheader against Gardner-Webb and Appalachian State on Sat., Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. The matches are scheduled to be played outdoors at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility, but weather may force the event into the USC Indoor Fieldhouse. The Gamecocks (8-1) will try to extend their winning streak to seven with a weekend sweep before the team heads into SEC play next weekend.

South Carolina is coming off a 5-2 upset of then-No. 34 NC State this past weekend, where junior Diego Cubas, ranked 97th in the country in singles, improved his singles record to 17-4 overall and 6-3 in dual matches this season with a win over NC State’s nationally-ranked Jay Weinacker. Senior Jaime Cuellar hopes to rebound after suffering his first loss of the season in three sets against NC State. Cuellar is currently 5-1 on the season as the No. 3 singles player for the Gamecocks. Junior Ivan Cressoni remained perfect on the season against NC State, as he improved his singles record to 7-0 on the season.

Gardner-Webb (1-9) is coming off weekend road losses to UNC Wilmington and East Carolina. This weekend will conclude a six-match road trip for the Runnin’ Bulldogs. The lone victory for Gardner-Webb this season was a commanding 7-0 defeat of North Greenville College. Junior Evgeny Slesarev, who is 9-1 on the season as the No. 1 singles player, leads the way for Gardner-Webb.

Appalachian State (4-1) is looking to get back on track after suffering its first loss of the season last weekend to USC-Upstate. This weekend will be the second of nine consecutive away matches for the Mountaineers, and the last match before the team faces its first Southern Conference opponent. Senior Bobby Lake heads the Mountaineers as the No. 1 singles player and is 4-1 on the season. Appalachian State has yet to suffer a loss at its No. 2 singles, as the team has split time with juniors Trent Constance and Peter Jacobs at that position.

The Gamecocks hold a 1-0 all-time record against Gardner-Webb, with the only meeting coming in 2004. The teams share two season opponents in common – Indiana and Davidson, both of which the Gamecocks have defeated. South Carolina is 14-1 all-time against Appalachian State, including a 6-1 win for the Gamecocks last season.