Gamecocks Prepare for ITA Kick Off Weekend
Jan. 27, 2017
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS — No. 16 South Carolina women’s tennis arrived in Lubbock, Texas Wednesday, Jan. 26 for the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Gamecocks will face No. 21 Arizona State in the first-round Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m., followed either by No. 13 Texas Tech or UC Santa Barbara in the second-round Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m.
Quotable
Head Coach Kevin Epley: “I’m glad we came down early to get used to the altitude, get our string tension right and get used to the weather. It’s a big tournament, it’s a national tournament. We want to do well early in the season so we don’t have to make up lost ground later in the season. Overall we’re excited for this opportunity to compete at a high level. We have three other good teams here. The competition is going to be stiff and we’re really going to have a chance to see where we’re at.”
QUICK HITS: No. 21 ARIZONA STATE
- The Sun Devils are led by Sheila McInerney in her 33rd year with the team.
- The team returns four from last year’s team that finished ranked No. 27, while adding two junior transfers and one freshman.
- Arizona State has two ranked singles, sophomore Sammi Hampton at No. 49 and senior Kassidy Jump at 63, and one ranked doubles , Savannah Slaysman and Kelley Anderson at No. 36.
QUICK HITS: NO. 13 TEXAS TECH
- The Lady Raiders will face UC Santa Barbara in the first round.
- Texas Tech made it to the national tournament last season after defeating Oregon and Illinois at home.
- Junior Gabriela Talaba leads the team ranked No. 26 in singles with sophomore Felicity Maltby at No. 81 in singles.
- Doubles team of Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici came in at No. 14 to start the season.
- Head coach Todd Petty is entering is ninth season with the Lady Raiders.
QUICK HITS: UC SANTA BARBARA
- The Gauchos are 0-1 in the season after falling to No. 18 USC 5-2.
- UCSB is the defending Big West Conference Tournament champions after finishing the 2015-16 season 19-8 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
- The duo of senior Melissa Baker and sophomore Stephanie Yamada is ranked No. 33 to open the 2017 season.
- Head coach Simon Thibodeau is in his fifth season with the Gauchos.
Up Next
The Gamecocks will hit the road to face their palmetto rival the Clemson Tigers and have a chance to earn a point in the Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series.
For the latest information on South Carolina women’s tennis follow the Gamecocks on Twitter and Instagram, at gamecockwtennis.
