Gamecocks Kickoff Fall Season at Debbie Southern Fall Classic

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s tennis team heads to Furman, S.C., to compete in its first tournament of the fall season, the Debbie Southern Fall Classic, hosted at the Mickel Tennis Center.
 
Along with the Gamecocks and host Furman, the field of play consists of 10 other programs. Of those teams, Carolina will see Palmetto Series foe, Clemson, and two SEC competitors in Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The nonconference teams competing include, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas and Wake Forest.
 
“The beginning of this season has been a bit atypical in that we have not had the amount of practice or conditioning time that we are accustomed to going into the first tournament,” head coach Kevin Epley said. “Still, the team looks good. A lot of them have been practicing all summer so I don’t really feel like we’re far behind at all. We’re excited to see the girls compete this weekend and where we are to start this 2018-19 campaign.”
 
Of the total 12 teams competing, five programs finished the 2017-18 season ranked in the top-six by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Those teams include national champion runner-up Vanderbilt (2), North Carolina (3), Duke (4), Georgia Tech (5) and Texas (6). Overall, every team other than Furman finished within the top-40 in the ITA poll.
 
The Gamecocks bring in three ranked singles players in Ingrid Gamarra Martins at No. 45, No. 81 Megan Davies and No. 96 Mia Horvit. Carolina’s roster also sees three doubles teams nationally recognized by the ITA, including No. 20-ranked Gamarra Martins and Horvit, No. 39 Paige Cline and Davies, and Rachel Rohrabacher and Silvia Chinellato at No. 41.
 
Doubles play will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday followed by singles action at 1 p.m. Competition will continue on Saturday and Sunday beginning 9 a.m. each day.