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Gamecocks Travel for Final Regular Season Road Matches
Men's Tennis  . 

Gamecocks Travel for Final Regular Season Road Matches

Columbia, S.C. – No. 9 South Carolina men’s tennis will travel to Alabama to face No. 27 Auburn on Friday at 4 p.m. ET before heading down the road to face Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Friday’s match against the Tigers will be broadcast on the Cracked Racquets CrossCourt Cast. Live stats and streaming for both matches is available on GamecocksOnline.com.
 
Gamecock Notables

  • The Gamecocks are 18-5 on the season with four of their wins coming over top-10 opponents, including a win over then-No. 1 Tennessee on the road. They are 7-2 in conference play and are on a three-match winning streak with their latest win over No. 12 Kentucky.
  • Junior Daniel Rodrigues was named SEC Player of the Week for the third consecutive week and has earned the honor four times this season. Rodrigues is on a nine-match singles winning streak with all nine coming over ranked opponents, including five in the top-35 – Nos. 18, 19, 21, 25, and 35.
  • Rodrigues is No. 3 in the latest ITA rankings. He is 18-2 from the No. 1 singles positions and boasts a 14-2 record against ranked opponents.
  • Sophomore Toby Samuel is ranked No. 66 by the ITA. He is 13-5 from the second spot in the lineup and holds ranked wins over Nos. 38, 55, 71, and 114. He has clinched six matches for the Gamecocks on the season, including the two most recent wins over No. 41 Vanderbilt and No. 12 Kentucky.
  • Samuel and doubles partner Casey Hoole clinched the doubles point for the Gamecocks over Kentucky. The duo fell behind 0-2 early before rallying to win their match 7-6(3).
  • Gamecock doubles pair of Rodrigues and sophomore Connor Thomson is ranked 28th in the latest rankings. The duo is 14-3 from the No. 1 doubles position with ranked wins over Nos. 2, 9, 37, 45, 55, and 80.

 
Scouting the Tigers

  • Auburn is 17-5 on the season and 5-3 in conference play. They have a 12-1 record at home and hold six ranked wins including an upset over No. 24 Texas A&M at home.
  • The Tigers won both of their last two home matches with a 4-2 win over Texas A&M and a 7-0 sweep of Alabama A&M.
  • Auburn is led by junior Tyler Stice. Stice is 12-6 from the top spot in the lineup and is ranked No. 46 in the latest ITA rankings.
  • The Tigers No. 1 doubles pair consists of Tad Maclean and Finn Murgett who are ranked No. 36 in the nation and are on a ten-match winning streak. The duo is 14-3 in dual match action and a perfect 7-0 in SEC competition.
  • Auburn narrowly leads the all-time series over South Carolina 21-20. The Gamecocks are looking to even the series this weekend and continue their eight-match winning streak.

 
Scouting the Crimson Tide

  • Alabama is 7-16 on the season and 0-8 in conference play. They are 5-5 at home on the season.
  • The Crimson Tide is led by freshman Filip Planinsek who is 12-9 from the No. 1 position. He is ranked No. 46 by the ITA and holds ranked wins over Nos. 44, 107, and 112.
  • Alabama is home to No. 48 doubles pair of Planinsek and German Samofalov. The duo is 6-6 from the No. 1 position and has ranked wins over Nos. 18, 44, and 48.
  • The duo of Patrick Kaukovalta and Planinsek recently took over duties from the top doubles position. They are a perfect 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference play with ranked wins over No. 24 and No. 52.
  • Alabama leads the all-time series over South Carolina 26-20. The Gamecocks won the most recent matchup 5-2 at home but the Tide has won two of the last three on the road.

 
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
 

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