May 22, 2015

WACO, Texas – South Carolina men’s tennis seniors Kyle Koch and Thiago Pinheiro saw No. 22 Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares of Texas Tech continue the momentum that moved them into the Round of 16 at the NCAA Doubles Championships, falling to the Red Raiders’ duo to end the Gamecocks’ season.

Both duos posted upsets in the first round of the tournament with No. 29 Koch/Pinheiro knocking off the nation’s No. 20 team and Dojas/Soares powering past the No. 5 tandem. The Texas Tech duo struck first in Friday afternoon’s matchup with the Gamecocks, staking out an early service break in both sets en route to its 6-3, 6-2 victory.

“Texas Tech outplayed us today,” South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi said. “They were loose and confident from the get-go and never looked back Unfortunately, it’s not the way [Kyle and Thiago] wanted their careers to end, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and what they’ve accomplished in their careers at South Carolina.”

Koch/Pinheiro finish the season with a 14-9 record, including five wins over nationally ranked opponents. They played exclusively in the top spot in the Gamecocks’ doubles lineup, turning in a 10-8 dual-match record. With Thursday’s win in the NCAA Doubles Championship, they became South Carolina’s first team to advance in the tournament since 2010.