South Carolina Defeats Oklahoma In ITA Kick-Off Semifinal
Jan. 26, 2018
Oklahoma at South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 25 South Carolina women’s tennis (2-1) earned its second straight sweeping victory Friday, defeating Oklahoma 4-0 in the semifinal matchup of the ITA Kick-Off at the Carolina Tennis Center.
The one-seeded Gamecocks secured the doubles point with two consecutive wins, and closed the deal with three straight wins in singles over the four-seeded Sooners.
With Friday’s win, the Gamecocks will advance to the championship match at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday and will face in-state rival Clemson for a chance to play in the ITA Indoor Championships for the third time in program history and for the first time in the event’s current format, which began in 2009.
DOUBLES
No. 33 Rachel Rohrabacher and Hadley Berg rolled to a 6-1 win against Lily Miyazaki and Camila Romero. With the victory, Berg and Rohrabacher have won five straight doubles matches and are 7-1 when paired together in 2017-18. Soon after Berg and Rohrabacher earned their win, Ingrid Gamarra Martins and Silvia Chinellato, who were paired for the second straight match, helped the Gamecocks clinch the doubles point. The duo defeated Simran Kaur Sethi and Christiana Brigante, 6-3, for its second straight doubles win. The wins improved Berg to 11-6 and Chinellato to 15-5 in their individual doubles records this season.
DOUBLES
1. Ingrid Gamarra Martins / Silvia Chinellato (SC) def. Simran Kaur Sethi/Christiana Brigante (OU) 6-3
2. #33 Rachel Rohrabacher / Hadley Berg (SC) def. Lily Miyazaki/Camila Romero (OU) 6-1
2. Megan Davies / Mia Horvit (SC) vs. Skyler Miller/Malene Stripp (OU) 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish
2, 1
SINGLES
In similar fashion to doubles, the Gamecocks cruised through the singles portion of play Friday. For the second straight match, Rachel Rohrabacher was the first player to win her match, earning a 6-1, 6-2 win over Skyler Miller. The junior has won four straight singles matches and is 2-0 in dual match play in 2018.
After a loss against UCF last Friday and an unfinished match against USF on Sunday, Silvia Chinellato earned her first singles win of the 2018 dual match campaign, with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Oklahoma’s Camila Romero. No. 33 Hadley Berg clinched the match for the Gamecocks with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Simran Kaur Sethi. The senior has now won six straight matches dating back to Nov. 3, 2017.
SINGLES
1. Mia Horvit (SC) vs. #14 Lily Miyazaki (OU) 2-6, 4-1, unfinished
2. #43 Hadley Berg (SC) def. Simran Kaur Sethi (OU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Ingrid Gamarra Martins (SC) vs. Christiana Brigante (OU) 4-6, 4-1, unfinished
4. Silvia Chinellato (SC) def. Camila Romero (OU) 6-1, 6-3
5. #105 Megan Davies (SC) vs. Malene Stripp (OU) 6-1, 4-4, unfinished
6. Rachel Rohrabacher (SC) def. Skyler Miller (OU) 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish
6, 4, 2
QUOTABLE
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- Berg needs just one more win to tie Gira Schofield for ninth on the career wins list for singles. The senior, who has 88 career wins, is looking to become just the fourth player in school history with 100 wins.
- Epley is 14 wins away from reaching 100 at South Carolina and is 13 wins from 250 overall on his career.
- Berg’s 14-1 singles record this season has her at 88-28 overall for her career, with a winning percentage of .758 that ranks seventh in school history.
- This is the seventh time the Gamecocks have played in the ITA Kick-Off in program history and the first time the team has hosted the event as the top seed. In all other appearances, the Gamecocks were the No. 2 seed, including appearances the 2017 Texas Tech Regional, the 2013 Michigan Regional, the 2012 Georgia Tech Regional, the 2011 Miami (Florida) Regional, the 2010 Arkansas Regional and the 2009 Duke Regional.
- Prior to Friday’s match, the last time the Gamecocks won the semifinal match in the ITA Kick-Off was on Jan. 26, 2013 with a 4-3 win over Missouri at the Michigan Regional.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks will wrap up the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with the championship match against three-seed Clemson at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Tigers won their semifinal match against Southern California on Friday, 4-2. South Carolina women’s tennis owns a two-match winning streak over the Tigers, including a 7-0 win at Clemson in 2017.
The winner of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend will advance to the ITA Indoor Championship from Feb. 9-12 in Madison, Wis at the University of Wisconsin. For updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).
