No. 24 Gamecocks on the Road This Weekend
March 23, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 24 South Carolina women’s tennis team will compete in two SEC road matches this weekend after adding a 2-1 record last weekend at home. The Gamecocks will travel to Columbia, Mo. to face No. 44 Missouri at 5 p.m. CT Friday, March 24 at the Mizzou Tennis Center. Their SEC weekend will continue Sunday, March 26 in Fayetteville, Ark. when they face No. 18 Arkansas at 11 a.m. CT at the Billingsley Tennis Center.
Quotable
Head Coach Kevin Epley: “We are looking forward to building on some individual improvements we made last weekend. It’s a long season and we are focusing on improving every week. Missouri and Arkansas are both much improved teams this year, and we look forward to the challenge ahead of us. To perform around tournament time, you have to put together some gutty performances on the road. These matches will serve as a great opportunity to test our resolve. We feel like we can play better as a team and believe we are getting closer each week, so we are anxious to get out and compete.”
GAMECOCK Notables
- South Carolina is 11-5 overall and 2-3 in SEC play this season.
- The Gamecocks boast two ranked in singles play; Ingrid Gamarra Martins (36) and Mia Horvit (75).
- The doubles pairing of Paige Cline and Hadley Berg is ranked No. 42 nationally.
- Berg’s 12-win streak is the best undefeated record in the SEC.
- Sophomore Ingrid Gamarra Martins returned to the court last weekend for the first time since Feb. 5 when she retired mid-match to notch a win against Tennessee’s Sadie Hammond in the No. 2 spot.
- Kevin Epley is in his fifth season with the Gamecocks.
QUICK HITS: No. 44 MISSOURI
- Mizzou is 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the SEC this season, coming off a 4-1 loss to Ole Miss Sunday, March 19.
- Freshman Tate Schroeder leads the team with a 10-2 record in dual play, including a 2-1 record in SEC play at the No. 4 spot.
- The Tigers hold a 2-1 record in home matches this season, including a 4-3 victory over No. 17 Texas A&M.
- Ranked doubles: Amina Ismail and Beatriz Machado Santos (64).
- Head coach Colt Gaston is in his second season at Missouri.
QUICK HITS: No. 18 ARKANSAS
- The Razorbacks are 14-3 overall and 4-1 in league play, including five wins over top-50 opponents.
- Before facing the Gamecocks on Sunday, Arkansas will face No. 1 Florida Friday, March 24 at home.
- Three have amassed at least 10 wins in singles play for the Razorbacks this season, Natsuho Arakawa (10-3), Leolia Jeanjean (12-1) and Shannon Hudson (10-3).
- Ranked singles: Hudson (48), Ana Oparenovic (115) and Jeanjean (121).
- Ranked doubles: Giulia Pairone and Hudson (38).
- Michael Hegarty enters his 14th season with the Razorbacks in the 2016-17 season.
Up Next
After facing Mizzou and Arkansas this weekend, the Gamecocks will return home for five matches. The first against No. 11 Auburn on Friday, March 31 at the Carolina Tennis Center at 5 p.m. Admission and parking to all home tennis matches are free of charge.
