April 10, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sophomore Elixane Lechemia from the South Carolina women’s tennis team has been named SEC Player of the Week. It marks the third consecutive week the Gamecocks have taken home the weekly honors from the conference office, as juniors Katerina Popova and Dominika Kanakova won the awards previously. Since the league began awarding Player of the Week for women’s tennis in 2000, South Carolina is the first school to ever win it three weeks in a row.

Lechemia posted an undefeated weekend in singles and doubles to help extend the Gamecocks’ SEC unbeaten streak to four matches, their best since the 2010 season. She clinched the Gamecocks’ 4-3 win over Mississippi State with the team score tied 3-all after losing the first set to her opponent playing No. 2 singles, the highest she has played this year in the lineup. She broke Alexandra Perper of MSU at 5-all in the third and held in the next game for the 7-5 victory.

Along with partner Ximena Siles Luna, Lechemia clinched the doubles point versus No. 37 Ole Miss on court three despite facing a 5-2 deficit. Lechemia held serve at love both times she served during the Gamecocks’ come-from-behind doubles win versus the Rebels. She then defeated the first ranked player of her career in beating No. 82 Mai El Kamash on court three by scores of 6-1, 6-2 to give Carolina its first point in singles and second of the match.