Feb. 26, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 17 South Carolina women’s tennis looks to continue its strong start to the season as it takes on No. 27 Wake Forest at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Gamecocks (7-2) are coming off their second top-25 win of the spring after beating then-No. 21 Clemson last Saturday, while Wake Forest (9-1) fell to the Tigers in Clemson, S.C., the following day for their first loss of the season.
Quotable
Head Coach Kevin Epley: “We are excited to see where we are at as we get ready to go into the SEC season. We’re coming off a good win, but we have also had some tough losses. We need to be in a place where we are having a consistent performance, particularly in regards to the variables we can control. That’s what we will be looking for this weekend. It’s one thing to win or lose, but it’s another thing to be the same team day-in and day-out.”
Earning Honors
Junior Caroline Dailey took home SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors after knocking off the nation’s No. 11 singles player, 7-6 (6), 6-4, to help South Carolina climb out of a 3-1 hole against Clemson and earn a dramatic 4-3 victory. It marks the first time in her career she has won the award and the second weekly award for the Gamecocks this season.
In The Rankings
The Gamecocks shot up 20 spots in the team rankings this week to No. 17, their highest team ranking since 2010. Dailey’s big win against Clemson catapulted her into the individual rankings for the first time this spring to No. 71. The ranking is especially sweet for the Sarasota, Fla., native as she overcame a back injury that derailed her fall campaign. Also ranked for South Carolina are freshmen Paige Cline (No. 108) and Ingrid Gamarra Martins (No. 118).
South Carolina Notables
- The Gamecocks have won the doubles point in seven of nine matches this spring, posting a 1-1 record when dropping the point.
- Junior Caroline Dailey’s win over the nation’s 11th-ranked player was the Gamecocks’ highest-ranked singles win since 2009.
- Sophomore Hadley Berg is perfect in her first seven singles results, capturing all seven matches in straight sets.
- Junior Brigit Folland has racked up three straight victories, including a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 4 last week, en route to a 6-1 spring record.
Scouting No. 27 Wake Forest
- Wake Forest is under the direction of sixth-year head coach Jeff Wyshner, who led the Demon Deacons to a 14-13 record last season, their first winning season since 2007.
- Junior Kimmy Guerin, ranked No. 82, comes in with a 9-1 dual match record this season, including an impressive 8-1 mark at No. 1.
- Freshman Joanna Zalewski has a 10-match win streak at No. 4, while junior Luisa Fernandez has a six-match win streak at No. 6.
- Wake has been consistent in every position throughout the singles lineup, as each position has seven wins or more. As a team, they have dropped just nine of 60 singles matches this spring.
Up Next
Carolina kicks off SEC play next weekend with a pair of home matches. The Gamecocks square off with Missouri on Thurs., Mar. 3, at 5 p.m., before matching up with No. 48 Arkansas on Sat., Mar. 5, at 1 p.m. Parking and admission to all home matches are free.
