Feb. 19, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 37 South Carolina women’s tennis takes on in-state rival Clemson for the 51st time on Sat., Feb. 20, at Noon at the Carolina Tennis Center. South Carolina is off to its third-consecutive 6-2 start following a split of last Saturday’s doubleheader with Georgia State and Charlotte. Clemson, ranked No. 21, enters the match with a 2-2 record that includes losses to No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Florida. Attendance and parking at all home matches are free.
Quotable
Head Coach Kevin Epley: “We’re really excited to have the opportunity to play Clemson at home. They’re a very good team that we’ve had some struggles with the last few years. We’ve had two fantastic weeks of practice, and the girls are playing extremely well. It’s going to come down to competing, committing to their game and believing they can win. If that’s the case, we believe we can certainly get it done. It’ll be exciting to have the community out here to cheer us on in what is one of our biggest matches of the year.”
Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series
Saturday’s matchup between the Gamecocks and Tigers marks the 12th contest in the Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series. South Carolina currently leads the series, 6-5, thanks to wins in men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s golf, women’s diving and the annual food drive. Following Saturday’s match, points remain up for grabs in men’s tennis, baseball and academics.
South Carolina Notables
- The Gamecocks have won the doubles point in seven of eight matches this spring.
- Freshman Ingrid Gamarra Martins, ranked No. 110, is off to a blistering 7-1 start in singles. She has risen up the lineup and played her first matches at No. 1 and No. 2 last weekend, registering a pair of wins.
- Sophomore Hadley Berg has provided a steady hand at multiple spots in the lineup as she is 6-0 this spring, including wins at No. 3 last Saturday.
Scouting No. 21 Clemson
- Clemson is led by long-time head coach Nancy Harris, who eclipsed 500 career wins last season as her team made its 10th NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the last 12 seasons.
- Like South Carolina, Clemson boasts five freshmen on its roster.
- The Tigers are led by senior Joana Eidukonyte, who entered the spring as the top-ranked player in the nation. Currently ranked No. 11, the All-American is 1-3 in 2016 after posting a 22-3 mark in dual matches last season.
- Freshman Fernanda Navarro is the Tigers’ other ranked singles player at No. 75. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native is 0-2 against ranked opponents this spring.
Up Next
Carolina closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a road match at Wake Forest. The Gamecocks and Demon Deacons are set to battle on Sun., Feb. 28, in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 2 p.m.
