Men's Tennis . March 11, 2021

Gamecocks Head to Mississippi for Set of Top-25 Matchups

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 14 South Carolina men’s tennis (8-3, 4-2 SEC) continues SEC play on the road this weekend, with a pair of dual matches in Mississippi. The Gamecocks will first travel to Starkville to face No. 24 Mississippi State (10-4, 1-3 SEC) on Fri., Mar. 12, at 4 p.m. ET, then will take on No. 19 Ole Miss (5-5, 4-1 SEC) in Oxford on Sun., Mar. 14, at 2 p.m. ET.

Gamecock Notables

The Gamecocks are 8-4 overall and 4-2 in SEC action after hosting two top-15 teams.
South Carolina broke into the top 15 for the first time this season, moving up to No. 14 in this week’s Oracle/ITA Rankings.
Doubles pair Toby Samuel and Jake Beasley continue to lead the Gamecocks with a 15-8 overall record.
The Gamecocks have a combined 10-6 record against ranked singles opponents this season.
No. 32 Daniel Rodrigues and true freshman Toby Samuel both have a team-best 15 singles wins on the season. In SEC action, Beasley and No. 118 Connor Thomson join them in the lead with four wins each.
Thomson was named the most recent SEC Co-Newcomer of the Week alongside Nikola Slavic of Ole Miss.
Samuel is on a seven-match winning streak in singles, which is the longest active streak for the Gamecocks.

The Mississippi State Series

The Gamecocks last travelled to Starkville, Miss., on Mar. 11, 2018, when they lost 1-4.
The SEC rivals faced each other at least once a year from 1992 to 2019, not meeting in 2020 due to the shortened season.
South Carolina last defeated Mississippi State on Apr. 16, 2017, in a 4-3 decision at the Carolina Tennis Center.

Scouting the Bulldogs

Mississippi State is 10-4 overall, with a 9-2 record at home.
The Bulldogs are 1-3 in SEC play, losing to top-15 teams Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M. They most recently topped LSU 4-3 at home and are 8-16 in SEC singles play.
Four of Mississippi State’s wins were 7-0 sweeps against unranked teams.
Head coach Matt Roberts leads the eight returners and two true freshmen on the Mississippi State roster.

The Ole Miss Series

In the most recent meeting, the Gamecocks beat the Rebels 4-3 on Mar. 10, 2019, at the Carolina Tennis Center.
South Carolina won three of the last four meetings, with the largest win coming in 2018 at a 5-2 decision.
Ole Miss last hosted South Carolina on Mar. 18, 2017, when the Gamecocks won 4-3.

Scouting the Rebels

Ole Miss is 5-5 overall, including a 2-3 record at home. The Rebels most recently defeated then-No. 11 Texas A&M 5-2 at home.
Four of Ole Miss’ five losses were to top-15 teams, three of which were to SEC rivals – Tennessee (twice) and a non-conference January match against Texas A&M.
Ahead of Sunday’s match, Ole Miss will host No. 7 Florida on Fri., Mar. 12.
Ole Miss boasts seven returners on its roster of nine and is led by head coach Toby Hansson, who is in his seventh season in the position.

Rankings Roundup
No. 14 South Carolina
Singles
No. 32 Daniel Rodrigues
No. 81 Raphael Lambling
No. 118 Connor Thomson

Doubles
No. 44 Daniel Rodrigues / Connor Thomson
No. 59 Raphael Lambling / Phillip Jordan

No. 24 Mississippi State
Singles
No. 36 Giovanni Oradini
No. 87 Florian Broska

Doubles
No. 28 Florian Broska / Nicolas Ocana
No. 47 Alberto Colas / Gregor Ramskogler

No. 19 Ole Miss
Singles
No. 62 Tim Sandkaulen

Doubles
No. 7 Tim Sandkaulen / Finn Reynolds

For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).