South Carolina Hosts Auburn and Alabama for Final Home Matches

Columbia, S.C. – No. 34 South Carolina will host its final SEC matches at the Carolina Tennis Center this weekend. The Gamecocks will face No. 13 Auburn on Friday at 5 p.m. before taking on No. 42 Alabama for Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m. 
 
Gamecock Notables

• The Gamecocks most recently defeated No. 63 Kentucky on the road in a 5-2 decision.
• No. 2 Sarah Hamner has 31 singles wins this season and is the first Gamecock to reach at least 30 wins in a season since Ana Marija Zubori in 2009.
• The Gamecocks received new ITA rankings this week with No. 2 Hamner, No. 57 Ayana Akli, No. 104 Elise Mills, No. 25 Hamner/Misa Malkin, No. 30 Megan Davies/Hamner and No. 77 Akli/Malkin all making the list.
• No. 57 Akli is on a six-match winning streak which is currently the longest on the South Carolina squad. She claimed each of those wins in straight sets.
• South Carolina has a combined 14 SEC singles wins in the top two spots of the lineup.
• Both No. 104 Mills and freshman Malkin have 20 singles wins this season with Malkin earning her first road win at Kentucky in straight sets.
• Doubles pairs No. 30 Davies/Hamner and Akli/Ana Cruz each have a 6-2 conference record.
• Of South Carolina’s 11 wins, it has earned the doubles point 10 times.

 
Scouting the Tigers

• No. 13 Auburn is 17-3 this season including a 5-1 record on the road and an 8-1 record in conference play. Of its eight SEC wins, four of them were earned on the road. 
• Auburn’s only SEC loss came in a 7-0 decision against then-No. 7 Texas A&M. The loss was the first match in which Auburn did not notch at least one point. 
• The Tigers only other losses were two suffered at the ITA National Team Indoor to then-No. 6 NC State and then-No. 11 Ohio State.
• Auburn was on an eight-match winning streak before the loss to Texas A&M.
• The Tigers have remained in the ITA top-25 every week this season.
• Auburn has won the doubles point in 15 of its wins. It has also won two matches despite losing the doubles point. 
• In singles, the Tigers have 15 wins in both the Nos. 3 and 6 spots. They also have 14 wins in the Nos. 2 and 5 spots.
• The Tigers have ranked players in No. 69 Selin Ovunc, No. 70 Ariana Arseneault, No. 87 Carolyn Ansari and No. 12 Arseneault/Ovunc.
• The eight returners on the Auburn roster are led by head coach Caroline Lilley, associate head coach Megan Falcon and volunteer assistant coach Anastasia Antal.

 
The Auburn Series

• South Carolina is 31-20 all-time against Auburn including a 17-1 performance at home.
• The Tigers and the Gamecocks have split the last 10 matches with each winning five.
• Auburn came out on top 4-2 in the most recent meeting which took place at Auburn.
• South Carolina last hosted Auburn in 2019 and earned a 4-0 win over the Tigers.
• The doubles point was won by the Gamecocks in four of the last five matches. 
• The Gamecocks last defeated Auburn 4-2 in 2020 in a road contest.

 
Scouting the Crimson Tide

• No. 42 Alabama is 14-7 with a 2-3 record on the road and a 4-5 SEC record.
• The Crimson Tide have suffered conference losses to Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas A&M.
• Alabama dropped its most recent match to then-No. 7 Texas A&M in a 6-1 outcome, earning its lone point in the No. 5 singles position.
• The Crimson Tide had a winning streak of nine matches before Furman handed them its first loss.
• Alabama has not won more than two consecutive SEC matches since it defeated Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the opening weekend of conference play.
• Most Alabama’s singles wins have come from the No. 5 spot with 16 on the season.
• Ahead of Sunday’s match, Alabama will face No. 15 Florida.
• The eight women on the Crimson Tide are led by head coach Jenny Mainz, assistant coach Jonatan Berhane and volunteer assistant coach Keith Swindoll.

 
The Alabama Series

• The Gamecocks are 20-12 against Alabama, including a 10-6 record at home.
• In the last home meeting, South Carolina topped the Crimson Tide in a 4-0 decision.
• South Carolina is on a six-match winning streak which is the longest streak in the series.
• The Gamecocks have only dropped the doubles point once in the last six wins.
• Alabama last won a match against South Carolina in 2015 in a 4-2 outcome in Columbia.

 
Match Day Coverage

• Auburn: the match can be watched here and live scoring can be found here. In addition, Cracked Racquets SEC CrossCourt Coverage for Friday’s match can be found here.
• Alabama: live video can be found here and live scoring 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 earn special rewards. Fans can join Garnet Aces via this link.
• Fans who attend Friday’s match can pick up rally towels and a “Setting the Standard” poster.
• Sunday’s match will feature a Senior Day celebration for Kendall Couch. The ceremony will take place prior to the match.
• Those attending Sunday’s match have the opportunity to receive a free soft pretzel.