South Carolina Begins SEC Slate Friday

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina women’s tennis travels to No. 8 Texas A&M and LSU this weekend for the beginning of the SEC season. The Gamecocks will take on the Aggies at 4 p.m. ET on Friday and will face the Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is on a four-match winning streak after two weekends of home matches.
• The Gamecocks went a perfect 7-0 against both Campbell and UNC Greensboro and did not drop a single set in the process.
• No. 68 Elise Mills owns the best singles record in dual matches for the Gamecocks at 7-1. Close behind is No. 1 Sarah Hamner with a 6-1 singles record.
• South Carolina has the most wins in singles in the No. 4 spot with a 6-2 record. In that position, Mills is 3-1.
• Hamner, Mills, and freshman Misa Malkin have each won their last four singles matches.
• The Gamecocks have used 11 different doubles pairings in dual matches so far this season that have a combined 13-9 record.
• Doubles pair Ayana Akli and Ana Cruz are on a four-match winning streak. They are undefeated at the top of the lineup and are 1-1 in the No. 2 position.
• South Carolina has ranked players in No. 1 Hamner, No. 68 Mills, No. 74 Akli, No. 24 Hamner/Malkin and No. 48 Akli/Malkin.

 
Scouting the Aggies

• Texas A&M is ranked No. 8 in the latest ITA National Team Rankings for their fourth consecutive week in the top 10.
• The Aggies are 14-1 overall, including a 12-0 record at home.
• Texas A&M’s only loss came in a 4-3 decision against then-No. 4 California in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
• The Aggies have never lost the doubles point in their 15 dual matches.
• Texas A&M has ranked players in No. 27 Carson Branstine, No. 41 Tatiana Makarova, No. 91 Mary Stoiana, and No. 3 Jayci Goldsmith/Makarova.
• The 12 women on the Aggies roster are led by head coach Mark Weaver, assistant coach Jordan Szabo and volunteer assistant coach Bjorn Thomson.

 
The Texas A&M Series

• South Carolina is 11-7 all time against Texas A&M, including a 6-2 record on the road.
• The Gamecocks last travelled to College Station in 2019 and won in a 4-0 decision.
• In the most recent regular-season matchup, Texas A&M took the 4-2 win in Columbia.
• The last meeting between the SEC foes took place in the 2021 SEC Tournament in which Texas A&M advanced to the final with a 4-2 win over South Carolina.

 
Scouting the Tigers

• LSU is 1-4 with its sole win occurring at home in a 4-2 result against Southern.
• LSU has the most wins in the No. 3 singles spot with a record of 2-2.
• The Tigers have won the doubles point once this season.
• Ahead of Sunday’s match, LSU will face No. 13 Florida at home.
• The Tigers have one ranked player in No. 93 Ena Babic.
• LSU has three freshmen and six returners led by Co-Head Coaches Michael Sell and Julia Sell.

 
The LSU Series

• South Carolina is 27-7 against LSU with a 10-5 record on the road.
• In the last meeting on the road, South Carolina came out on top in a 4-0 decision.
• Most recently, the Gamecocks lost to the Tigers in a close 4-3 outcome that came down to the final court in singles.
• South Carolina secured the doubles point in four of the last five matchups.
• The Gamecocks have never had consecutive losses to the Tigers.

 
Match Day Coverage

• Texas A&M: live scoring can be found here and live video can be found here.
• LSU: live scoring can be found here and live video can be found here.

 
Fan Information

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