April 16, 2014

SEC Tournament • Columbia, Mo. • April 16-20, 2014

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 30th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team opens SEC Tournament second-round play seeded eighth versus No. 9 seed and 33rd-ranked Ole Miss on Thursday at 3 p.m. in Columbia, Mo.

South Carolina (15-8, 6-7 SEC) and Ole Miss (13-8, 6-7 SEC) have squared off several times against each other in the SEC Tournament. In fact, Thursday’s matchup will mark the fifth time they have met in the 8-9 contest, which is also the only time the two have played against each other in the SEC Tournament. South Carolina owns a record of 2-2 versus the Rebels with the last meeting coming a year ago in Starkville, Miss. The Gamecocks were the No. 8 seed in that match as well and suffered a 4-3 setback after defeating the Rebels 4-0 during the regular season in Columbia, S.C. This year, the Gamecocks registered a 4-2 triumph over the then-No. 24 Rebels in Oxford, Miss.

The Gamecocks are competing in their 23rd SEC Tournament this season and own an all-time record of 19-22. The Gamecocks have reached the finals on one occasion (2002) and the semifinals four times (1995, 1999, 2002, 2010). Carolina has competed in at least the quarterfinals all but four times (1993, 2004, 2008, 2013).

Carolina ended the regular season winning five of its final six SEC contests after starting league play with a 1-6 mark. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 65 less than a month ago before running off five wins in a row. All five came against teams ranked in the top 75 in the nation at the time of the match and four of the five were ranked among the top 50. When South Carolina defeated Ole Miss on April 4, it marked the team’s first road victory against a top-25 squad since 2010 when the Gamecocks beat Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga.

Meghan Blevins compiled the most singles victories for the team during the spring with a strong 15-6 record for dual-match play. She was a fixture at No. 4 singles for the bulk of the season, where she went a stellar 13-2 and 6-2 in SEC matches. For the final weekend of competition, Blevins moved up a spot to No. 3 singles. Overall, she led the team with seven victories in league play. She is tied with two teammates for the most singles wins overall as well thanks to a 19-13 record.

Elixane Lechemia came on strong during the second half of the SEC season. She snagged a couple of wins against players ranked among the top 60 and now finds herself with a career-high singles ranking of 84th in the latest ITA poll. Lechemia has played the No. 1 singles post the majority of the season and owns a 9-5 mark at the position. She went 5-4 atop the lineup for SEC matches and is tied for the team lead in wins with a 19-10 record. Lechemia garnered SEC Player of the Week honors earlier this month for the second time in her career.

Katerina Popova, one of two seniors on the team, provided another solid campaign for the Gamecocks during the regular season. She currently stands 17-9 overall and went 12-5 in duals. Popova has played mostly the No. 2 singles spot while seeing some action at the Nos. 1 and 3 courts. The Moscow, Russia, native has compiled over 150 combined singles and doubles victories during her career to rank among the top 10 in school history. Popova is the Gamecocks’ other ranked individual for singles as well coming in at No. 106 this week.

Freshman Brigit Folland posted a strong fall for the Gamecocks that saw her enter the spring as the only ranked player on the team at No. 113. She has played anywhere from No. 1 singles to No. 4 during the spring and most recently moved from the third court to the No. 4 slot. Despite some struggles, Folland has been ranked as high as No. 85 this season and owns a 17-16 record overall. She closed out the regular season winning two of three and nearly got a third against Vanderbilt. Folland took home SEC Freshman of the Week honors in February as well.

Fellow rookie Caroline Dailey has been an important member of the Gamecocks’ lineup this season. Dailey is tied for the team lead in singles victories thanks to a 19-9 overall record that includes an 11-5 clip in dual matches. She had a 5-3 record in SEC matches this year and has rotated between the Nos. 5 and 6 positions throughout the spring. In recent weeks, Dailey has been the No. 5 singles player for the Gamecocks.

Ximena Siles Luna ended her sophomore year on a positive note by winning three straight heading into the SEC Tournament. After a fairly quiet March, Siles Luna reemerged as a key contributor for South Carolina by clinching both of its wins at Ole Miss and Mississippi State during the first weekend of April. Siles Luna is 17-7 and 10-5 in dual matches this year. She has played as high as No. 4 singles but appears to have found a comfortable spot at No. 6 the past two weeks.

For doubles, head coach Kevin Epley has not been bashful in trying a variety of combinations throughout the season. In fact, no doubles team for the Gamecocks own double digit victories for the entire season. Lechemia is the common denominator in the two winningest duos, as she is 8-4 playing alongside both Blevins and Dominika Kanakova. She began the year playing the No. 1 spot with Blevins but then transitioned to partnering with Kanakova once Kanakova returned from a foot injury in February. Lechemia’s pairing with Kanakova has proven effective, as the tandem tied a school record with seven SEC victories on court one. South Carolina’s top team is currently ranked No. 43 and has been as high as 30th just last week.

Blevins appears to be set playing with Popova for the remainder of the season. They have compiled a 4-1 record together since joining forces for the Alabama match on March 21. All eight of the matches they have played together have come at No. 2 doubles. Despite just five matches that have counted toward their record, Blevins and Popova have scored a pair of wins against ranked teams that has them ranked No. 47 in the country this week. The ranking is a career-best for both players.

Epley’s most recent change to the doubles lineup has been the third spot that is now anchored by Dailey and Siles Luna. The two combined for three matches in early February while only registering one completed match, a loss to Virginia. Last week, they joined forces again and came close to grabbing a win over Kentucky and then clinched the doubles point against Vanderbilt two days later against a duo ranked No. 58 at the time.

The winner of Thursday’s match will move on to face top-seeded and regular-season champion Alabama (20-3, 12-1 SEC), which is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, at 3 p.m. Friday. South Carolina lost a 4-1 decision to the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., earlier this season.