No. 19 Gamecocks Fall to No. 27 Texas A&M
March 5, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 19 South Carolina men’s tennis team suffered a 5-2 loss to Texas A&M on Sunday at the Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks dropped to 11-3 with the loss and 1-1 in the SEC, while the Aggies improved to 7-3 and 2-0 in conference play.
The doubles pairing of Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe made quick of their opponents on court two with a dominating 6-2 outing. But the No. 1 pair fell shortly after, leaving the decision to court three. Andrew Schafer and Gabriel Friedrich dropped a 4-2 lead in the No. 3 doubles, allowing the Aggies to take the doubles point with a 7-5 battle and giving A&M a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Schafer tied it up for the Gamecocks at one a piece with his straight-set victory on court three. His 6-4, 6-2 win marks the fifth consecutive time Schafer was the first off the court in singles play. No. 16 Arthur Rinderknech put the Aggies ahead for good with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Friedrich on court one, handing the junior just his third loss of the season. Jordi Arconada made the score 3-1 after he dispatched Dennis at the third position 7-5, 6-4.
O’Keefe gave the Gamecocks a chance with his three-set victory on two, bringing the score within one with two still playing. But shortly after Valentin Vacherot gave the Aggies the clincher on court five with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
With the match in hand, Hady Habib added to the Aggie total with a 6-4, 7-6 tiebreak win against No. 105 Mayronne to make it a 5-2 final.
Quotable
Head Coach Josh Goffi: “All credit goes to A&M. They played like they’ve won their last four or five matches, and more importantly they are a team that’s come from behind in their last four or five matches to have big wins. They were confident in the big moments and came forward in the big moments and we were right there with them. That’s definitely one of the better teams in the SEC this year and our guys were within points of taking matches. We had the doubles point on our hand and didn’t get a chance to take it. The scores were tight everywhere and I couldn’t be happier with how our guys competed all the way through. We were right there until the end. Unfortunately, we did not play aggressive enough in the big moments and that’s something you’ll see a difference in, in coming weekends.”
Up Next
The Gamecocks return to action to host rival Clemson at the Carolina Tennis Center Friday, March 10 at 4 p.m. for a chance to earn at point in the Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series. Admission and parking to all home tennis matches are free of charge.
