Gamecocks Down 32nd-ranked LSU in Home Finale

COLUMBIA, S.C.– 18th-ranked South Carolina men’s tennis (14-6, 4-5 SEC) finished off No. 32 LSU (14-7, 2-6) with three singles victories coming in three-sets in a tightly contested 5-2 win on Saturday night.  The Gamecocks, which split its final home weekend of the season at the Carolina Tennis Center, finish the season with a 12-2 home record.

Carolina faced tight matches from start to finish, beginning with the very first serve of the doubles session. Paul Jubb and Raphael Lambling, the 63rd-ranked doubles team in the nation won three straight games to take a 5-2 lead, later winning the No. 1 doubles match 6-3 to give the Gamecocks the advantage.  LSU’s No. 2 doubles pair overcame a 4-1 deficit to win the match 6-4. 

All eyes turned to court six and the No. 3 doubles match between Carolina’s Beau Pelletier and Daniel Rodrigeus, and LSU’s Boris Kozlov and Nick Watson.  The match which went back-and-forth all the way to a tiebreak, with Rodrigues finishing off a long series of forehands at the net to win the breaker 10-8.

Momentum shifted midway through the singles session as LSU had second-set wins on four of the six courts.  Paul Jubb was the first off the singles courts, winning in straight sets to put the Gamecocks ahead 2-0 before LSU pulled back a point with a win on court three. 

Thomas Brown recovered from his second-set letdown with a 6-0 third-set win to put Carolina ahead 3-1, but the Tigers answered again by finishing off a win at No. 4 singles.

With a tight second-set going in favor of the Tigers to even the match on court two, Beau Pelletier finished off a 6-3 third-set win to clinch the team win for the Gamecocks from court five.  Following Pelletier’s clincher, Daniel Rodrigues carried the momentum the rest of the way to a 6-1 third-set win at No. 2 singles.

South Carolina will be back on the road to close out the final two weeks of the SEC season beginning with Auburn on Friday at 4 p.m. ET.  Carolina will take on Alabama on Sun., April 7, at 2 p.m. ET.

Doubles Results:
1. No.63 Paul Jubb/Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Daniel Moreno/Shane Monroe (LSU) 6-3
2. No.51 Joey Thomas/Rafael Wagner (LSU) def. Jake Beasley/Joseph Brailovsky (SC) 6-4
3. Beau Pelletier/Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Boris Kozlov/Nick Watson (LSU) 7-6 (10-8)
Order of finish: 1,2,3*

Singles Results:
1. No.5 Paul Jubb (SC) def. Rafael Wagner (LSU) 7-5, 6-3
2. No.93 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Shane Monroe (LSU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-1
3. Boris Kozlov (LSU) def. Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Malik Bhatnagar (LSU) def. Joseph Brailovsky (SC) 6-4, 6-4
5. Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Joey Thomas (LSU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
6. Thomas Brown (SC) def. Daniel Moreno (LSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 1,3,6,4,5*,2