March 17, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 48 South Carolina welcomes College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina to Carolina Tennis Center on Sunday for a non-conference doubleheader. Matches begin at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, as the Gamecocks (11-5) look to carry the momentum of Wednesday’s 4-3 win at No. 71 Clemson into the weekend of matches.

South Carolina boasts a pair of nationally ranked singles players this week. Senior Ivan Machado came in at No. 104 this week, his first singles ranking since playing nearly a month as the No. 105 player in the country his freshman year. This season, Machado is 13-10 on the season, including a 9-7 mark in dual matches. His third-set tiebreak in the No. 2 spot in the order was the clinching point in Wednesday’s emotional victory. Fellow Brazilian Thiago Machado picked up his first college ranking this week, holding down the No. 117 spot. He is 9-3 overall and 9-1 in dual matches after joining the team in January. The newly formed doubles tandem of sophomores Nick Jones and Chip Cox notched the No. 64 spot in the ITA’s ledger this week after defeating the No. 27-ranked doubles team last weekend.

College of Charleston comes to Columbia after an already busy week of matches, including a pair of wins in its first two Southern Conference matches. The Cougars topped Wofford and Elon to open league play and improve to 7-2 on the season. Senior tom Delme leads the team with a 7-2 record playing in the No. 2 spot in the order, while sophomore Brice Allanic brings a 7-1 slate to Columbia, making most of his contributions in the second half of the singles lineup. The upperclassman combination of Michael Trintignac and Kyle Parker is 8-1 this season at the top of the doubles lineup.

Coastal Carolina is riding an eight-match win streak into Columbia on Sunday. The Chanticleers are 10-1 with their lone loss coming against the only other ranked team they have faced – UNC Wilmington. Coastal is paced by junior Yusuke Kusuda who has built a 10-0 record in dual matches and is in the No. 3 spot in the order. Sophomore Cypriot Leo Christofides mans the No. 2 position with an 8-3 mark. Kusuda teams with Matias Di Pasquale to form the Chanticleer’s most potent doubles tandem. The pair is 7-3 on the season, playing a majority of its matches at the top of the order.

The Gamecocks return to conference play next week with a 1 p.m. match on Fri., March 23, at 1 p.m. against No. 15 Ole Miss at Carolina Tennis Center.