April 14, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 11 South Carolina women’s tennis wraps up its regular season this weekend with a pair of road dates. The Gamecocks first head to Tennessee for a Friday matchup at 3 p.m. ET, before a battle at No. 3 Georgia set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Gamecocks (16-5, 8-3) enter the weekend tied for fourth in the SEC standings with No. 12 Auburn after earning a split last weekend at Auburn and Alabama. Carolina can take sole possession of fourth place entering the SEC Tournament with a win this weekend and a pair of Auburn losses. The Tigers, who own the tiebreaker over the Gamecocks, are at No. 6 Vanderbilt Friday and No. 20 Kentucky Sunday.

Tennessee (8-14, 1-10) has endured a tough season but looks to regain its spark heading into the postseason. Georgia (17-2, 10-1) battles No. 4 Florida for the top spot in the conference on Friday before hosting the Gamecocks for senior day.

Veterans Coming Up Big

With multiple freshmen playing major roles for the Gamecocks this spring, it’s been the veterans at the back of the lineup who have proven to be the most consistent points this season. Sophomore Hadley Berg, playing almost exclusively at No. 4 singles, won her first 14 matches of the spring for the Gamecocks’ best individual start since 1995. Junior Brigit Folland has been equally impressive, amassing a team-best 7-3 SEC mark playing at No. 5. Senior Ximena Siles Luna has won three straight matches and has stepped up big in clutch situations, providing the clinching point in 4-3 wins against No. 21 Clemson and No. 15 LSU.

Quick Hits

• The Gamecocks have matched their best start through 21 matches since 2007.
• The Gamecocks are one win from matching the most wins in a season under head coach Kevin Epley.
• South Carolina has its most SEC wins since 2007 and second most since joining the conference.
• Sophomore Hadley Berg and junior Brigit Folland are a combined 29-8 in singles play this spring, including 14-7 in the SEC.
• At 6-3 in the SEC, doubles tandem Hadley Berg and Paige Cline is one win from matching South Carolina’s single-season SEC wins record at No. 1 doubles and two wins from matching the school’s single-season SEC doubles wins record.

Scouting Tennessee

• The Volunteers have won the doubles point five times in SEC play.
• Ranked in singles: Sadie Hammond (63)
• Ranked in doubles: Hammond/Eve Repic (68)

Scouting No. 3 Georgia

• Georgia’s only blemish in SEC play was a 4-3 loss at No. 5 Vanderbilt, which South Carolina defeated 4-3 on March 10.
• Georgia is 3-2 when losing the doubles point.
• Ranked in singles: Ellen Perez (4), Caroline Brinson (29), Kennedy Shaffer (46), Silvia Garcia (86)
• Ranked in doubles: Perez/Mariana Gould (20), Garcia/Shaffer (67)

Up Next

Carolina will compete in the 2016 SEC Tournament April 20-24 in Baton Rouge, La.