South Carolina Hosts Clemson and Charleston Southern Sunday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecocks return to Columbia to take on upstate rival Clemson on Sunday at noon at the Carolina Tennis Center for their first dual match at home this spring. South Carolina will then face Charleston Southern at 4 p.m. for an action-packed day on the courts.

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is 1-4 this season, including a 4-2 win against Princeton at ITA Kickoff Weekend.
• In the match against Wake Forest, three Gamecocks earned points in singles: No. 2 Sarah Hamner, then-No. 28 Ayana Akli and Elise Mills.
• Mills is 3-1 in singles this spring, including an upset over the then-No. 23 player in straight sets.
• The Gamecocks won the doubles point in the match against Princeton with wins from Ayana Akli and Misa Malkin as well as Ana Cruz and Kendall Couch.
• In the newest ITA Rankings, South Carolina received three first-time rankings in No. 109 Elise Mills, No. 39 Hamner/Malkin and No. 42 Akli/Malkin. Additionally, Hamner remained No. 2 in singles and Akli moved to No. 43.

Scouting the Tigers

• Clemson is 6-1, including a 0-1 record on the road.
• The Tigers’ only loss came in a 7-0 decision against then-No. 14 Auburn. Auburn is the only SEC opponent Clemson has faced this spring.
• Clemson has won the doubles point in five of its seven matches.
• The largest margin of victory for the Tigers this spring came in a 7-0 result against Georgia Southern.
• The Tigers have one ranked player in No. 113 Cristina Mayorova.
• The 10-member roster, comprised of one freshman and nine returners, is led by head coach Christy Lynch (2nd season), assistant coach Amy Sargeant (2nd season) and volunteer assistant coach Nathan Thompson (1st season). 

The Clemson Series

• South Carolina is on the plus side in matches against Clemson with a 30-27 record. That includes a 16-10 record at home.
• The rivals have met at least once a year for the past 32 years and South Carolina is 20-12 within that time span. Of those 20 wins, 12 of them were at home.
• The Gamecocks are on a seven-match winning streak against the Tigers, most recently topping them in a 4-1 decision at Clemson. 
• South Carolina notched the doubles point in five of the last seven wins.
• In the most recent meeting in Columbia, the Gamecocks topped the Tigers 6-1 and won four singles matches in straight sets.
• South Carolina’s largest margin of victory over Clemson was a 7-0 win in 2017.
• Clemson last defeated South Carolina at home in 2014 in a 5-2 outcome.

Scouting the Buccaneers

• Charleston Southern is 2-2 with a 6-1 win over Wofford and a 7-0 win over SC State. Both losses occurred on the road.
• The Bucs have won the doubles point in three of its four matches.
• In 10 out of 12 singles points won, Charleston Southern has won in straight sets.
• The Bucs are 0-2 against nationally ranked opponents.
• The Gamecocks will be the Bucs’ only SEC foe in regular season play.
• Ahead of Sunday’s match the Bucs will face College of Charleston and North Carolina A&T.
• The nine Bucs are led by head coach Anca Dumitrescu (4th season) and assistant coach Iustin Baciu (4th season).

The Charleston Southern Series

• South Carolina is undefeated against Charleston Southern with a perfect 4-0 record.
• The Gamecocks defeated the Bucs in the most recent meeting 4-0 at home.
• Charleston Southern has only ever claimed one point against South Carolina in a match in 1998.
• In the last three meetings, the Gamecocks shut out the Bucs 5-0, 7-0 and 4-0.
• South Carolina has won each of its 19 singles points in straight sets.

Match Day Coverage

• Clemson: live scoring can be found here and live video can be found here.
• Charleston Southern: live scoring can be found here and live video can be found here.

Fan Information

• Want to be in the loop on all things South Carolina Tennis? Join the Garnet Aces today to receive an exclusive weekly newsletter and have the opportunity to get special rewards. Fans can join Garnet Aces via this link.
• On Sunday, the first 50 Garnet Aces members to attend the match will receive a signed women’s tennis poster.
• The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a free slice of pizza.