Men’s Tennis Again Travels to Play Nation’s Top Team
Columbus, Ohio – No. 4 South Carolina men’s tennis will travel to the home of the top-ranked team in the nation for the second time this season, making the trip to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State. The top-5 matchup will take place on Sunday, Feb. 11 at noon at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.
Those not in attendance at the match can view live results here with live streaming here.
Gamecock Notables
- South Carolina is ranked No. 4 in the latest ITA Coaches Poll and has been ranked as high as No. 2 this season. The team is coming off of a loss to No. 9 Wake Forest.
- The Gamecocks are represented in the ITA Singles rankings by senior Toby Samuel at No. 50 and freshman Jelani Sarr at No. 76.
- Samuel is 3-1 so far this season from the top spot in the lineup and his resume features wins over then-No. 22 Chris Rodesh (UVA) and then-No. 120 Robin Catry (NC State). The senior recently suffered his first loss of the season to No. 23 Filippo Moroni in three sets.
- Sarr is 14-9 overall this season and has five ranked wins to his name. The No. 76 ranking is the first ranking of his career.
- Representing South Carolina in the doubles rankings are senior James Story and junior Casey Hoole at No. 60. The ranking came on their heels of the duo’s upset of the nation’s No. 13 pair.
- The Gamecocks have already faced the No. 1 team in the nation in a road environment this season, having opened their season at then-No. 1 Virginia where they returned with a 4-3 win.
Scouting the Buckeyes
- Ohio State holds the top ranking in the ITA Coaches Poll and has a perfect 8-0 record on the season. The Buckeyes are well tested with a 7-0 sweep over No. 3 Virginia and a 6-1 romp of then-No. 13 Wake Forest.
- The Buckeyes are well-represented in the ITA singles ranking with five in the top-90 – No. 7 JJ Tracy, No. 13 Jack Anthrop, No. 25 Justin Boulais, No. 67 Cannon Kingsley, and No. 86 Alexander Bernard.
- Ohio State also has three ranked doubles pairs – No. 2 Tracy and Robert Cash, No. 13 Tracy and Bernard, and No. 35 Cash and Bryce Nakashima.
- Kingsley, Boulais, and Tracy have all taken turns at the No. 1 spot in the lineup this season and combine for a perfect 6-0 record at the top spot.
- The Buckeye team combines for a 17-1 record in dual doubles matches this season and has yet to give up a doubles point.
Series History
- South Carolina leads the all-time series against Ohio State 5-1. The first match of the series was in 1972 with the most recent matchup happening in 2023
- The two teams first faced in March of 1972 with South Carolina coming out on top 7-2.
- Ohio State’s lone win of the series was in 2004 at a neutral site. The Buckeyes came out on top 4-0.
- The two teams last faced in 2023 in Columbia with South Carolina winning 4-1.
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).