April 4, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Two members of the No. 8-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team will join the professionals at the WTA’s Volvo Car Open on Tues., April 4, in Charleston, S.C. Sophomore Hadley Berg and freshman Paige Cline are set to compete as a doubles tandem after the duo qualified by winning the doubles draw at the SHAPE Magazine Invitational on March 3.

Berg and Cline are one of two wild card entries into the 16-team doubles draw and will take on Vania King (USA) and Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) in the first round. King and Kudryaytseva are 7-3 in 2016 after advancing to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open last week.

Formerly known as the Family Circle Cup, the Volvo Car Open dates back to 1973 and is the largest women’s-only tournament in the world. The weeklong event takes place April 4-10 on Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C., with previous winners including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Justine Henin and Steffi Graf, among others.

Currently ranked as the No. 34 collegiate doubles duo, the California natives have been key at No. 1 doubles for the Gamecocks this season, amassing an 11-2 overall mark, including a 6-2 record in the SEC that helped Carolina start 6-0 in league play for the first time in program history. Berg and Cline have both received individual honors from the SEC this season with Berg winning Player of the Week on March 23 and Cline taking home Freshman of the Week honors on March 9.

The Gamecocks have enjoyed a stellar season thus far at 15-4, 7-2 in the SEC, and their first top-10 ranking since 1983. South Carolina closes out its regular season with back-to-back SEC road weekends.

Coverage of the Volvo Car Open begins Mon., April 4, on ESPN3, which will stream all single matches on Billie Jean King Stadium and Althea Gibson Club Court. ESPN 2 will begin carrying selected matches Thurs., April 7, through Sun., April 10. Tournament updates, including live scoring, are available at www.VolvoCarOpen.com or follow the South Carolina women’s tennis Twitter (@GamecockWTennis) for updates on Berg and Cline.