Gamecocks Prepped for No. 16 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia

Columbia, S.C. – No. 59 South Carolina women’s tennis is set to host No. 16 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia in its first SEC home matches of the season. The Gamecocks will face the Lady Volunteers on Friday at 5 p.m. and will take on the Bulldogs on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center.
 
Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is 6-5 this spring including a 1-1 record in SEC play and a 4-0 record at home.
• The Gamecocks most recently topped LSU on the road in a 6-1 decision.
• Freshman No. 2 Sarah Hamner is undefeated in SEC singles play. She was the lone Gamecock to win a point at then-No. 8 Texas A&M and did so in straight sets.
• No. 85 Elise Mills has a winning record in each spot of the lineup she has played in. She has won the most matches in the No. 4 spot with a 4-2 record.
• At home, South Carolina is 4-0 in the Nos. 1, 4 and 5 singles positions as well as in the No. 3 doubles position.
• In doubles, Ayana Akli and Ana Cruz lead the team with a 5-2 record this spring and are 3-0 at the top of the lineup.
• The Gamecocks have won the most doubles matches at the bottom of the lineup with Kendall Couch/Hamner and Megan Davies/Gracie Mulville supplying a 2-0 record each.
• South Carolina has ranked players in No. 2 Hamner, No. 66 Akli, No. 85 Mills, No. 20 Hamner/Misa Malkin and No. 60 Akli/Malkin. 

 
Scouting the Lady Volunteers

• Tennessee is ranked No. 16 in the latest ITA National Rankings. Its individual rankings include No. 31 Rebeka Mertena, No. 45 Tenika McGiffin, No. 75 Elza Tomase and No. 10 Daria Kuczer/McGiffin.
• Tennessee is 8-2 on the season including a 2-1 record on the road.
• The Lady Volunteers are undefeated in SEC play with wins over then-No. 46 Ole Miss and then-No. 56 Mississippi State. Tennessee won the doubles point in each of the matches.
• Tennessee is 3-2 against ranked teams this season. Their two losses came against then-No. 11 Ohio State and then-No. 6 NC State.
• In their 10 dual matches, the Lady Volunteers have won 41 of the 55 possible points.
• Tennessee has won six of its SEC singles matches in straight sets.
• The two freshmen and seven returners on the Lady Volunteers squad are led by head coach Alison Ojeda and associate head coach Jarryd Chaplin.

 
The Tennessee Series

• South Carolina is 22-27 against Tennessee all time including a 11-8 record at home.
• In the most recent meeting, the Lady Volunteers came out on top in a 4-0 decision in Tennessee.
• Prior to the most recent meeting, the Gamecocks were on a five-match winning streak. Three of those matches were won at home.
• The last time the SEC foes met in Columbia, South Carolina beat Tennessee in a 4-1 decision. The Gamecocks only dropped one singles match on their way to the win.

 
Scouting the Bulldogs

• No. 23 Georgia is 5-2 this spring and is 2-0 in SEC play. It has not yet competed on the road.
• The Bulldogs have ranked players in No. 25 Mell Reasco, No. 49 Lea Ma, No. 71 Meg Kowalski, No. 113 Dasha Vidmanova, No. 122 Ania Hertel, No. 62 Morgan Coppoc/Hertel and T-No. 64 Guillermina Grant/Reasco.
• Georgia previously topped then-No. 46 Ole Miss 7-0 and then-No. 56 Mississippi State 6-1.
• The Bulldogs made an appearance at the ITA National Team Indoors in which they lost in the quarterfinals to then-No. 6 NC State.
• Georgia has won the doubles point in four of its seven dual matches.
• In singles, the Bulldogs are undefeated in the No. 6 spot with a 4-0 record.
• The nine members on the Georgia roster are led by head coach Jeff Wallace, associate head coach Drake Bernstein and volunteer assistant coach Eric Roddy.
• Ahead of Sunday’s matchup, Georgia will face No. 15 Florida.

 
The Georgia Series

• The Gamecocks are 17-48 against the Bulldogs dating back to 1974. That includes an 8-20 record at home.
• South Carolina last defeated Georgia 4-3 at the 2019 SEC Championship to earn its first conference title in program history.
• In the last home meeting, the Bulldogs came away with the 4-2 win in 2019. The Gamecocks earned the doubles point in the loss.

 
Match Day Coverage

• Tennessee: live scoring can be found here.
• Georgia: live scoring can be found here.

 
Fan Information

• With impending rain and cold temperatures this weekend, continue to check @gamecockwtennis on all platforms for match location updates.
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