COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina men’s tennis jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on to score a 4-3 victory over Auburn Friday night at the Carolina Tennis Center. Big performances from sophomore Harrison O’Keefe and redshirt sophomore Gabriel Friedrich led the way, before redshirt freshman Wood Benton clinched the win for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina found itself on the right end of a 4-3 match for the first time this season thanks in large to a strong doubles performance. Friedrich and O’Keefe struck quickly, posting a 6-1 win at No. 1. After Auburn picked up a close win at No. 3, juniors Sam Swank and Alex Fennell closed out a 7-5 win at No. 2 to give the Garnet and Black its first doubles point since March 10.
Carolina quickly added on to its lead as Friedrich and O’Keefe recorded impressive wins. O’Keefe was first off the court as he defeated Tiger Conner Huertas, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 3 for his team-leading sixth SEC win. No. 66 Friedrich then topped No. 88 Marko Krickovic 6-1, 6-3 for his fourth ranked win of the spring and third victory in four matches.
The Tigers continued to battle, however, earning a tight 6-4, 7-6 (3) win at No. 2 and a three-set win at No. 4.
Carolina closed things out as redshirt freshman Wood Benton stormed back after dropping a first set tiebreaker to post a 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 6. The Spartanburg, S.C, native used a big serve and a spike near the net to post his second clinch of the season. Auburn came from behind to claim a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5, making it a 4-3 final.
The win moves South Carolina to 3-6 in the SEC and 11-12 overall. Auburn, meanwhile, falls to 1-8 in the SEC, 11-11 overall.
Quotables: Head Coach Josh Goffi
“The doubles point was the key. We changed a few things up with different formations and pairings, and it worked out for us. The guys did an amazing job executing the game plan. In singles, I thought we did a great job all-around as well. Hats off to Gabriel Friedrich and Harrison O’Keefe for getting off the court so quickly and applying a lot of pressure to the Auburn team with the 3-0 score. It was great to see Wood Benton storming to the win at the end. He did a great job of closing out. He felt the pressure, but rose to the occasion, so it was great to see. Sunday is going to be a great last home stand. Florida is always a tough team and one of the best teams in the conference, and then South Carolina State is tough as well, so we are looking forward to the competition.”
Match Changer
The Gamecocks won doubles for the first time in six tries to gain a 1-0 lead, before taking a 3-0 lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 3.
Notables
- South Carolina has won consecutive home matches and is 6-3 at home this season.
- The Gamecocks have taken three of the last four against the Tigers.
- Adjustments at doubles paid off as Carolina took the point for the first time in nearly a month.
- Redshirt sophomore Gabriel Friedrich moved to 5-4 in the SEC at No. 1 singles.
- Sophomore Harrison O’Keefe maintains the team-lead in singles wins (28), dual-match singles wins (15) and SEC singles wins (6-3) this spring.
- Redshirt freshman Wood Benton became the third Gamecock to reach double-digit dual-match wins.
Up Next
South Carolina hosts No. 14 Florida and South Carolina State on Sunday for its regular-season home finales. The Gamecocks and Gators will get started at noon. Attendance and parking at all home matches are free.
