Gamecocks Selected To Finish 4th In SEC Coaches' Preseason Poll

Jan. 24, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 25 South Carolina was selected to finish fourth in the SEC women’s tennis coaches’ preseason poll, it was announced Wednesday.

The Gamecocks tallied a 20-9 overall record and went 8-5 in SEC play last season, finishing fourth in the conference. In the 2017 SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks advanced to the second round by defeating Kentucky, 4-3, and were eliminated by Vanderbilt, which ultimately went on to win the 2017 SEC Tournament Championship.

Including No. 25 South Carolina, nine SEC schools are ranked nationally by Oracle and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as of Jan. 24: Vanderbilt (2); Florida (3); Georgia (4); Auburn (13); Arkansas (18); LSU (20); Kentucky (21); Ole Miss (23).

“It’s great the team is garnering respect from some of the best coaches in the nation,” head coach Kevin Epley said. “Still, we all realize that a preseason ranking of No. 4 amongst the great teams in this conference means very little. We are going to have to lace it up and compete our hearts out in every single match to get the win.”

This season, the Gamecocks (1-1) opened the 2018 dual match campaign with a 4-3 loss at the University of Central Florida on Jan. 19 and a 4-0 win at the University of South Florida on Jan. 21. The Gamecocks got a taste of SEC action against No. 23 Ole Miss at the FGCU Spring Invite on Jan. 13, winning five of seven singles matches against the Rebels.

South Carolina opens SEC action this season at Mississippi State on March 1. The Gamecocks visit Georgia, which was predicted to win the 2018 SEC women’s tennis title in the coaches’ poll, on March 8. They host second-ranked Florida on April 7 and third-ranked Vanderbilt on April 12. The SEC Tournament will be hosted at Tennessee April 18-22.

The preseason poll is voted on by the women’s tennis head coach at each institution and is based on a 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 vote. The complete tally for the poll is below.

For updates on the Gamecocks, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).