South Carolina Set for NCAA Play Saturday

Columbia, S.C. – No. 28 South Carolina women’s tennis is set for the first round of the NCAA Tournament in which they will take on No. 32 Iowa State on Saturday at 10 a.m. The first two rounds of the tournament will take place in Cary, N.C. at the Cary Tennis Park and are hosted by top-seeded North Carolina.
 
Should the Gamecocks advance to the Round of 32, they will face the winner of South Carolina State and No. 1 North Carolina.
 
Match Day Coverage

• Live stats for all matches this weekend can be found on StatBroadcast.
• Streaming of the tennis matches is available on the TennisONE app.
• Tickets for the NCAA Tournament matches will be available on-site up to one hour before gates open and can be purchased with card payment only.

 
Schedule

• South Carolina vs. Iowa State – Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m.
• North Carolina vs. South Carolina State – Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m.
• Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 – Sunday, May 8, at 2 p.m.

 
Gamecock Notables

• No. 28 South Carolina has Gamecocks in the individual rankings in No. 6 Sarah Hamner, No. 57 Ayana Akli, No. 25 Misa Malkin/Hamner, No. 44 Megan Davies/Hamner, No. 65 Davies/Gracie Mulville and No. 89 Akli/Ana Cruz.
• Hamner leads the Gamecocks with 33 singles wins on the season, 20 of which came against ranked opponents. She was recently named the SEC Freshman of the Year and to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
• Akli is on a 10-match singles winning streak, the longest on the South Carolina squad. She is 8-0 in her last ten matches, dating back to March 13. Akli also received SEC honors and was named to the All-SEC First Team.
• Davies has nine wins in the No. 3 spot and has clinched the match for the Gamecocks multiple times. 
• From the No. 4 spot, Elise Mills boasts 11 wins for South Carolina including an upset over the No. 23 player in the spring.
• Malkin was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on February 23 after she clinched the win for South Carolina over rival Clemson from the No. 4 spot.
• Freshman Mulville earned her first SEC win on the road at then-No. 16 Florida to help the Gamecocks close in 3-3 in the match.
• Mulville and Davies went 2-0 in the SEC Tournament to help South Carolina to the doubles point in both of its matches. The duo are ranked for the first time this season. 
• Akli and Cruz upset the No. 36 doubles team from Kentucky in the SEC Tournament for their first ranked win in as many chances this spring. The duo played in the No. 1 spot. 
• Most recently, Hamner and Malkin clinched the doubles point against Georgia in the SEC Tournament in a 7-6 (5) decision. The pair also topped the then-No. 2 doubles team in the nation earlier this spring in the Carolina Kickoff.

 
NCAA Tournament History

• This weekend marks South Carolina’s 27th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• The Gamecocks have advanced to the Round of 32 thirteen times, the Round of 16 four times and the Quarterfinals twice.
• In the most recent appearance, the Gamecocks lost in the Round of 64 to Iowa State.

 
Scouting the Cyclones

• No. 32 Iowa State is 16-6 this season with a 4-5 performance in the Big 12 and a 2-1 showing in neutral site play.
• No. 56 Thasaporn Naklo and No. 89 Ange Oby Kajura are ranked in singles for the Cyclones.
• The Cyclones advanced to the Big 12 quarterfinals after downing West Virginia 4-0. Reigning NCAA National Champions Texas halted Iowa State’s conference tournament run with a 4-0 win.
• Iowa State is 8-6 against ranked opponents.
• This will be the Cyclones’ second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Iowa State is 14-1 when winning the doubles point and is 2-5 when losing the doubles point.
• The Cyclones boast 18 wins from the No. 5 singles spot, followed by 15 wins in both the Nos. 2 and 3 singles positions.
• The five freshmen and two sophomores on the Cyclones squad are led by head coach Boomer Saia and associate head coach Kenna Kilgo.

 
The Iowa State Series

• South Carolina has only faced Iowa State once before in the NCAA Round of 64 in 2021. The Cyclones came away with the 4-2 win to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
• In the loss, the Gamecocks grabbed the doubles point and earned a singles point in the No. 2 spot.
• Last year’s match took place in Raleigh, N.C.

 
Scouting the Bulldogs

• South Carolina State won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Title when they defeated Howard 4-0. 
• The MEAC Tournament was played at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. and South Carolina State played three matches at the site.
• The Bulldogs enters the postseason 9-9 with a 7-3 neutral site record.
• South Carolina State is currently on a three-match winning streak, its longest streak of the season.
• The Bulldogs have not faced an ACC or SEC opponent this season.

 
The South Carolina State Series

• The Gamecocks are 5-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.
• The in-state foes have not met since 2015 with every match taking place in Columbia.
• South Carolina came out on top in a 4-0 decision in the most recent meeting.
• South Carolina State last earned a point in the 2014 indoor match at the top of the singles lineup.

 
Scouting the Tar Heels

• No. 1 North Carolina is the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
• The Tar Heels have ranked players in No. 5 Camera Morra, No. 30 Elizabeth Scotty, No. 35 Reilly Tran, No. 51 Carson Tanguilig, No. 55 Fiona Crawley, No. 2 Scotty/Crawley, No. 39 Morra/Tanguilig, No. 40 Alle Sanford/Morra and No. 69 Sanford/Tran.
• The Tar Heels have advanced beyond the regionals every season since 2010.
• North Carolina heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 24-2 record, including a 12-1 mark in ACC play. It is 5-1 on neutral grounds and is 12-0 at home.
• Most recently, North Carolina lost to Virginia 4-3 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament which the Tar Heels won in 2021.
• The Tar Heels won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship earlier this spring. They defeated Ohio State, Virginia, NC State and Oklahoma to take the title.
• North Carolina was on a 23-match winning streak before it suffered a 5-2 loss to Duke to cap off the regular season.
• The 11 members on the North Carolina squad are led by head coach Brian Kalbas, associate head coach Tyler Thomson and assistant volunteer coach Sara Daavettila.

 
The North Carolina Series

• South Carolina is 13-10 against North Carolina all-time.
• The border rivals last met in 2017 in Columbia and the Tar Heels emerged with the 4-1 win.
• The Gamecocks last topped the Tar Heels in 2000 in a 7-2 outcome.
• South Carolina’s longest winning streak in the series sits at four matches. The Gamecocks are currently on a two-match losing streak.