Men's Tennis . February 9, 2019

Gamecocks Throttle 21st-Ranked NC State

Carolina took out No. 21 NC State on the road, winning 6-1 on Saturday afternoon.

COLUMBIA, S.C.— South Carolina men’s tennis (6-1) made a huge non-conference statement with a dominant 6-1 win on the road at No. 21 NC State on Saturday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. The Gamecocks’ win was the first road win for South Carolina at NC State since 2003.

“NC State is not an easy place to play,” emphasized Head Coach Josh Goffi. “They’re well coached and a really solid team.”

The Gamecocks won a fourth-consecutive doubles point with wins on courts two and three before taking the first three singles wins to clinch at 4-0.

Carolina captured an additional two wins as freshmen Raphael Lambling and Joseph Brailovsky both won third-set tiebreakers to give the Gamecocks a 6-1 road win.

NC State, which has been ranked in each of the Gamecocks three wins over the Wolfpack under coach Goffi, had moved up in the latest ITA Rankings to No. 21 after a win over 12^th-ranked Georgia on kickoff weekend that kickstarted a three-match win streak.

South Carolina, now in the midst of a four-match win streak since returning from the Australian Open, returns home to prepare for its annual Palmetto Series match against in-state rival Clemson on Friday beginning at 3 p.m.

Quotable- Head Coach Josh Goffi:
“It’s been a while since we’ve won here but the boys earned the win today. From the start, the entire team was engaged and came ready to get into a battle. It was awesome to see this young group get after it the way they did.”

Doubles- Order of Finish: 3,2*
South Carolina took care of business during doubles for a fourth-straight match, as Yancy Dennis and Jake Beasley put the Gamecocks up quickly with a 6-2 win on court three.

Courts one and two were each tight throughout but Joseph Brailovsky and Paul Jubb got up a break at 4-2 and held the rest of the way through to a 6-4 win to give Carolina a 1-0 lead in the match.

Doubles Results
1. Michael Ogden/Alexis Galarneau (ST) vs. Daniel Rodrigues/Raphael Lambling (SC) 5-4, unfinished
2. Paul Jubb/Joseph Brailovsky (SC) def. Tadas Babelis/Georgiy Malyshev (ST) 6-4
3. Yancy Dennis/Jake Beasley (SC) def. Ivan Saveljic/Collin Shick (ST) 6-2

Singles- Order of Finish: 2,1,6*,3,5,4
Having been bumped up to No. 2 singles, No. 110 Daniel Rodrigues cruised to his fourth-consecutive win in straight sets, taking out NC State’s Tadas Bebelis, 6-2, 6-3.

The Gamecocks responded to a short shift in momentum that went in the Wolfpack’s favor as Paul Jubb (6-4, 7-5) and Thomas Brown (7-6 (4), 6-0) took out their respective opponents to clinch the team win at 4-0. Carolina added another two points with Brailovsky and Lambling capturing their first-career third-set tiebreak wins.

Singles Results
1. #16 Paul Jubb (SC) def. #45 Alexis Galarneau (NCST) 6-4, 7-5
2. #110 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Tadas Babelis (NCST) 6-2, 6-3
3. Yannai Barkai (ST) def. Yancy Dennis (NCSC) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (6)
4. #114 Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Robert Turzak (ST) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (6)
5. Joseph Brailovsky (SC) def. Georgiy Malyshev (ST) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6)
6. Thomas Brown (SC) def. Ivan Saveljic (ST) 7-6 (4), 6-0

Gamecock Notables:
– Following the 6-1 2 win, South Carolina is now 36-4 in singles to begin dual-match play and a combined 132-45 in singles play for the year.
– Junior No. 16 Paul Jubb picked up another ranked victory with a 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 45 Alexis Galarneau.
– Freshman Joseph Brailovsky (19-4) has won nine-straight singles matches after winning his first-career third-set breaker.
– Raphael Lambling has won 13-consecutive singles matches on the season after also bagging his first-career third-set win.
– Thomas Brown had to battle through the first set before prevailing in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-0, in his second win of the season at the No. 6 singles spot.
– Daniel Rodrigues remains tied for the team lead in singles wins (19) after cruising to a 6-2, 6-3 win in his second match of the year out of the No. 2 spot.

Up Next for the Gamecock
Carolina will host its annual Palmetto Series match against in-state rival Clemson on Friday, Feb. 15^th, beginning at 3 p.m., at the Carolina Tennis Center.