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South Carolina Faces Vanderbilt on Tuesday at SEC Tournament
Women's Tennis  . 

South Carolina Faces Vanderbilt on Tuesday at SEC Tournament

Gamecocks and Commodores Play at 4 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 27 South Carolina women’s tennis team is set to take on No. 22 Vanderbilt on Tuesday in the second round of the SEC Tournament at 4 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa, Ala., at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

The Gamecocks bring a 10-10 overall record into the match and went 7-6 in the SEC during the regular season to earn the No. 7 seed for the event. The Commodores are 13-8 and were 5-8 in league play to grab the No. 10 seed.

Last Time Out

South Carolina had its six-mtach unbeaten streak snapped by No. 13 Florida to end the regular season April 13 in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks got off on the right foot by taking the doubles point from the Gators with wins on courts one and three. Court three’s Allie Gretkowski and Ana Cruz snagged the first victory and then Megan Davies and Mia Horvit came through with a win at the top over the nation’s then-No. 2-ranked duo.

Florida stormed back in singles play, taking the first sets on five of the six courts. The Gamecocks only managed one victory in singles thanks to Elise Mills at the No. 6 spot. The Gators picked up wins on courts one, two, four and five. The only match that went unfinished was the No. 3 singles match between Emma Shelton and Florida’s Marlee Zein.

Gamecock Notables

  • The Gamecocks are competing in their 29th SEC Tournament this season and own an all-time record of 25-27. The Gamecocks have reached the finals on two occasions (2002, 2019) and the semifinals six times (1995, 1999, 2002, 2010, 2017, 2019). Carolina has competed in at least the quarterfinals all but five times (1993, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2015) as well. South Carolina won its first SEC Tournament crown in 2019 by defeating a Georgia team that was ranked No. 1 and undefeated going into the match in the championship in College Station, Texas.
  • Since the SEC began crowning a regular-season and tournament champion in 2000, only four teams have won the SEC Tournament. South Carolina became the fourth in 2019, joining Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt as the only teams to win the event.
  • Emma Shelton was named SEC Newcomer of the Week following the Gamecocks’ wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky. She posted a perfect 4-0 record between singles and doubles to help South Carolina extend its winning streak to six matches.
  • Megan Davies earned the first SEC Player of the Week honor of her career when she took home the award March 31. She helped the Gamecocks pull two road upsets over Mississippi State and Ole Miss with a pair of wins against top-40 players.
  • Kennedy Wicker was South Carolina’s member of the 2021 SEC Community Service Team.
  • The Gamecocks finished with a winning record in the SEC for the fifth season in a row, the longest streak in program history.
  • In defeating No. 19 Emma Antonaki of Mississippi State, Megan Davies registered the highest ranked win of her career.
  • The latest set of ITA rankings have Mia Horvit at No. 50, Megan Davies at No. 53 and Emma Shelton at a career-high No. 84. Davies and Horvit are ranked No. 23 in doubles as well.
  • South Carolina has shown strength in doubles play this season, winning the doubles point 14 times in 20 matches. Overall, the Gamecocks have a 32-16 record in doubles matches this spring, and they have won the doubles point 11 times in their past 14 matches.
  • Emma Shelton posted her first win against a ranked opponent this spring by upending No. 80 Tereza Janatova of Ole Miss in straight sets. She also posted a ranked win against Kentucky in beating No. 71 Lesedi Jacobs.
  • Emma Shelton leads the team in singles wins this season with 11. Three Gamecocks all have 13 wins in doubles individually, and the duos of Megan Davies/Mia Horvit and Ana Cruz/Allie Gretkowski each have 11 wins to lead the team.
  • Freshman Lindsay Tulenko made her collegiate debut in a dual match at Georgia on March 7 playing the No. 6 singles position. It was special for Tulenko not only because it was her first career start but also because her hometown of Bogart, Ga., is just outside of Athens.
  • Megan Davies hit the 75-win plateau in both singles and doubles with victories against LSU. Davies is one of 11 Gamecocks to hit the mark for both singles and doubles, and she ranks 12th all-time for combined victories with 157.
  • Freshman Allie Gretkowski posted the first SEC singles win of her career by defeating Anne Marie Hiser from Alabama on Feb. 21. Earlier in the year, she earned her first career win against a ranked player versus Georgia Tech by downing No. 123 Gia Cohen in straight sets.
  • Allie Gretkowski and Ana Cruz have been a formidable duo for the Gamecocks this season, going 11-0 at No. 3 doubles and 9-1 in SEC matches. As a team, the Gamecocks have lost just twice at No. 3 doubles with a 15-2 record.
  • When Megan Davies and Mia Horvit checked in at No. 15 nationally in doubles for the March 24 rankings it was the top mark of Davies’ career.
  • Mia Horvit is closing in on history this spring, looking to join the 100-win club in singles. She currently owns a 96-45 record in singles that ranks tied for sixth in school history with Natasa Vuckovic (2005-09). Next on the list in fifth place is Carolina Culik with 98. Only three Gamecocks have reached 100 victories with Rita Winebarger (1984-88) leading the way at 127 followed by Ana Marija Zubori (2006-10) with 109 and Lynn-Yin Tan (1998-02) at 103.
  • Mia Horvit’s current career win total of 173 matches between singles and doubles ranks tied for seventh in school history with Natasa Vuckovic (2005-09) and Brigit Folland (2013-17). Jennifer Radman (1998-02) is in sixth place with 175.
  • Head coach Kevin Epley is in his ninth season with the Gamecocks and is closing in on his 300th career win. Epley currently has a 297-135 mark in 17 seasons as a head coach at three schools. Epley has amassed a 146-76 record as South Carolina’s head coach and boasts an impressive 69-39 record in regular-season SEC play. He led the Gamecocks to their first SEC title in 2019 when South Carolina captured the SEC Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 12-1 record.
  • Mia Horvit has more wins in NCAA Tournament play than any Gamecock in school history. Between the team and individual tournaments, Horvit owns an impressive 17-3 record.
  • Consistency is the name of the game, and South Carolina has certainly been one of the most consistent programs in the country for decades. Currently, the Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament 25 seasons in a row. Overall, South Carolina has competed in 29 of the 38 all-time NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the quarterfinals three times (1982, 2009, 2019) and the round of 16 nine times (1982, 1983, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019). Carolina has also finished the season ranked among the top-25 a total of 25 times.

About Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt kicked off the season with eight consecutive wins, and the No. 22 Commodores have been ranked as high as No. 9 in the country this season. Their first loss of the season came against LSU in their first SEC contest by a 4-2 margin. Vandy hit a rough patch at one point during SEC play with six straight losses before ending the regular season with a win over Mississippi State. Vanderbilt has one ranked singles player with Christina Rosca at No. 30 and three different doubles combos ranked among the top 60 with Holly Staff/Anna Ross leading the way at No. 21. Vanderbilt is under the direction of first-year head coach Aleke Tsoubanos, who spent the previous 13 years as an assistant and associate head coach as well. Tsoubanos also played for the Dores from 2000 to 2004.

The VANDERBILT Series

  • Overall: Vanderbilt leads 23-19
  • Home: 10-8
  • Away: 4-13
  • Conference: 10-19
  • Last 10: 4-6
  • Current Win Streak: 3, South Carolina
  • Last Result: South Carolina 4-1 win in Columbia, S.C., on April 1, 2021
  • Longest Win Streak: 7, 1980-92
  • Longest Losing Streak: 6, 2000-04

>> Full Vanderbilt Series Results

In the Rankings

South Carolina (10-10, 7-6 SEC)

  • Team: 27th
  • Megan Davies: 53rd (S), 23rd (D)
  • Mia Horvit: 50th (S), 23rd (D)
  • Emma Shelton: 84th (S)

Vanderbilt (13-8, 5-8 SEC)

  • Team: 22nd
  • Marcella Cruz: 66th (D)
  • Emma Kurtz: 48th (D), 66th (D)
  • Christina Rosca: 30th (S)
  • Anna Ross: 21st (D)
  • Holly Staff: 21st (D), 48th (D)

For more information on South Carolina women’s tennis, check out the team on GamecocksOnline and on social media: