Tenth Seeded Gamecocks to Host Opening Rounds of NCAAs
South Carolina will be hosting the first and second round matches for the second consecutive year.
Columbia, S.C. – No. 9 South Carolina men’s tennis earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the 27th time in program history and the eighth time under head coach Josh Goffi. South Carolina will be hosting the first and second round matches for the second consecutive year. The Gamecocks (21-6, 10-2 SEC) will play South Carolina State (11-10, 4-0 MEAC) in the first round on Fri., May 6, at 1 p.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center. The other first-round match in Columbia will feature Pepperdine and Washington playing at 10 a.m.
The tenth-seeded Gamecocks will enter their fifth straight NCAA Tournament this weekend after falling in the Round of 16 during last years competition. South Carolina has two nationally ranked players in singles, including No. 2 Daniel Rodrigues and No. 81 Toby Samuel who both earned First-Team All-SEC honors last week. The Gamecock squad holds four wins over top-10 teams on the season, including an upset of then-No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville.
South Carolina State earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and have an 11-10 overall record on the season. No. 22 Pepperdine enters the tournament with a 17-7 overall record and an 8-1 record in the West Coast Conference. They ended the season second in their conference behind only No. 19 San Diego. No. 39 Washington earned an at-large bid to the tournament following a run to the title match in the Pac-12 Championships. They are 18-11 overall and had a 2-6 mark in the Pac-12 during the regular season.
The Gamecocks are one of ten SEC teams to make the 2022 NCAA Championship field, including five that will host the opening rounds of the event. Joining South Carolina in earning a seed in the event are second-seeded Florida, sixth-seeded Tennessee, eighth-seeded Kentucky, and 11th-seeded Georgia. Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State are also in the 64-team field.
Tickets for the first and second rounds at the Carolina Tennis Center will be $5. Students, faculty, and staff can get tickets for $3 with a valid University ID.
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
