April 18, 2012

2012 SEC Tournament Notes | Tournament Central

SEC TOURNAMENT LINEUP

Doubles
1. #37 Jaklin Alawi/Dijana Stojic
2. Dominika Kanakova/Anya Morgina
3. Josefin Andersson/Katerina Popova

Singles
1. #39 Anya Morgina
2. #89 Jaklin Alawi
3. Dominika Kanakova
4. #85 Dijana Stojic
5. Katerina Popova
6. Adriana Pereira

TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES

• No. 28 South Carolina (14-7, 5-6 SEC) enters the 2012 SEC Tournament holding the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11-seeded Kentucky at 9 a.m. CT in Oxford, Miss. It is the second time in three years the Gamecocks and Wildcats have played in the first round, with the two also meeting in Athens, Ga., in 2010. South Carolina won that match-up as the No. 5 seed. South Carolina has a 17-14 edge in the all-time series with UK and has won six in a row versus the Wildcats. Earlier this season, the Gamecocks scored a 6-1 victory over Kentucky in Columbia, S.C.
• The Gamecocks have an all-time record of 18-20 in the SEC Tournament with their best showing coming in 2002 when South Carolina hosted the event for the first and only time in school history. The Gamecocks reached the finals that season and lost to Florida. In 2010, South Carolina made the semifinals as the No. 5 seed after upsetting Georgia in the quarterfinals on the Bulldogs’ home courts.
• Katarina Petrovic was named interim head coach Feb. 28 when Arlo Elkins announced he was stepping aside from the day-to-day activities as head coach. Elkins later died at his home in Columbia on March 31. Petrovic has gone 7-6 and finished 5-6 in the SEC since taking over the reigns for Elkins. She is in her eighth season at Carolina, first starting as the assistant coach in 2004-05 before being promoted to associate head coach in summer 2009. Petrovic was named the ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009 as well. Petrovic is a South Carolina graduate and played for the Gamecocks from 1999 to 2002. She still holds the school record for highest singles ranking at No. 13 in March 2000.
• Doubles play has improved tremendously for the Gamecocks after they lost both points to Georgia and Tennessee to open SEC play. Coach Katarina Petrovic has made it a major emphasis in practice and South Carolina has won eight of 11 doubles points since. The Gamecocks enter the SEC Tournament having won four doubles points in a row, including handing Florida just its second loss in doubles this season. Included in that win was Jaklin Alawi and Dijana Stojic’s 8-3 victory against the No. 1 duo in the nation.
• The Gamecocks are at full strength with their lineup now thanks to the return of Dijana Stojic. The senior underwent back surgery in February prior to the Clemson match and did not return until April 6 versus LSU. She is listed at No. 1 doubles with Jaklin Alawi and will play No. 4 singles at SECs.
• South Carolina has boasted three ranked singles players all spring. Currently, Anya Morgina is 39th, Dijana Stojic is ranked No. 85 and Jaklin Alawi stands 89th. For doubles, Alawi is nationally ranked with Stojic at No. 37 and she holds a No. 61 ranking with Morgina.