Gamecocks Battle Out 4-3 Win Over Tennessee
April 7, 2017
KNOXVILLE, TN. — No. 20 South Carolina held off a late charge from Tennessee to score a 4-3 victory in men’s action Friday evening, tying a program best seven SEC wins. With the Gamecocks (18-4, 7-2) leading 3-1, the last three matches were battles with neither team able to seize control. South Carolina senior Andrew Schafer pushed through a tough match and tight tiebreak to deliver the match point from court three.
The Gamecocks took the early lead with a pair of doubles wins. At the top of the order, Harrison O’Keefe and Yancy Dennis (31) contributed first with their 6-3 victory over the doubles pairing of Luis Valero and Timo Stodder (67), to claim their third victory over a ranked pair this season. Gabriel Friedrich and Andrew Schafer closed out doubles play with a 6-3 win of their own on court three, giving South Carolina a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
At the start of singles, Alex Fennell and Paul Jubb made quick work of their matches to build the Gamecock lead to 3-1. Fennell conceded just three games to Luca Weidenmann (6-1, 6-2) in the No. 5 spot, and Jubb upended his opponent 6-2, 6-2 tostay perfect on the season. The Volunteers got on the board when Scott Jones defeated Dennis on court four 6-2, 6-3 making the score 3-1.
The match would come down to the top of the lineup to battle it out in three-set matches. No. 40 Stodder brought the score within one for Tennessee, finding his momentum to rally for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 triumph over O’Keefe (69) in the No. 1 spot. Schafer would provide the clinching point, taking down his opponent in tiebreak fashion (6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4)) on court three. Friedrich (47) played out his match on court two, eventually falling 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-5 to make a 4-3 final score.
RESULTS
SINGLES (5, 4, 6, 1, 3, 2) 1. #40 Timo Stodder (TENN) def. #69 Harrison O’Keefe (SC) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
2. Luis Valero (TENN) def. #47 Gabriel Friedrich (SC) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-5
3. Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (TENN) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Scott Jones (TENN) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-2, 6-3
5. Alex Fennell (SC) def. Luca Wiedenmann (TENN) 6-1, 6-2
Paul Jubb (SC) def. Jack Schipanski (TENN) 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES (1, 3)
1. #31 Harrison O’Keefe/Yancy Dennis (SC) def. #67 Luis Valero/Timo Stodder (TENN) 6-3
2. Jack Schipanski/Scott Jones (TENN) vs. Sam Swank/Alex Fennell (SC) UNF
3. Gabriel Friedrich/Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Luca Wiedenmann (TENN) 6-3
Up Next
The Gamecocks close out their SEC road slate as they face Georgia on Sunday, April 9 before heading home for their final home matches of the season. For more information on South Carolina men’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at gamecockmtennis or check in at GamecocksOnline.com.
