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Palmetto Series Point on the Line for Women’s Tennis
Women's Tennis  . 

Palmetto Series Point on the Line for Women’s Tennis

Columbia, S.C. – ­South Carolina women’s tennis continues non-conference play on Wednesday, hosting in-state rival Clemson at the Carolina Tennis Center at 4:00 p.m.

The Carolina Tennis Center is located at 1318 Heyward St. Due to recent inclement weather, the athletics village grass lot will not be available. Fans may park at any of the City of Columbia metered spot located around the athletics village, subject to fees required through the ParkMobile app. Parking is also available at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center located at 523 Superior St.

Admission to the match is free and open to the public. Those not in attendance can view live streaming here and live stats here.

The match presents an opportunity for South Carolina to take the lead in the SC Education Lottery Palmetto Series that is currently tied at 4-4. More information on the Palmetto Series is available here.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is 4-1 on the season and is coming off of a win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech. The Gamecocks last match was on Feb. 2 at the Carolina Tennis Center and they are 3-0 when playing at home this season. The team’s lone loss of the season came against then-No. 4 Georgia at a neutral site.
  • At the time of publication, South Carolina has three players in the ITA singles rankings – No. 3 Ayana Akli, No. 4 Sarah Hamner, and No. 108 Shahar Biran. New rankings are scheduled to be released on Wednesday prior to the match.
  • Akli and Hamner both lead the team with 16-5 singles records this season. Hamner has a 12-4 record over ranked opponents while Akli has a 10-5 ranked record.
  • In the ITA doubles rankings, Akli is ranked twice – at No. 27 with Olympe Lancelot and at No. 28 with Hamner.
  • Akli and Lancelot are 3-1 from the top of the lineup this season and have an overall record of 6-1 together.
  • Hamner and fellow junior Misa Malkin have held down the No. 2 spot in the doubles lineup this season where they are 3-1. Overall they are 5-2 together and the duo has clinched three doubles points so far this season.

Scouting the Tigers

  • The Tigers are 7-1 overall this season with six of their wins coming at home. The team’s only loss of the season comes at then-No. 9 NC State during the second round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
  • Clemson is under new leadership this season with Boomer Saia (formlerly Iowa State) taking the reigns over the summer.
  • At the time of publication, there are no Clemson players present in the ITA singles or doubles rankings.
  • Eleni Louka has led the Tigers from the top of the lineup this season where she is 4-3. She has an overall record of 7-12.
  • Following Louka in the lineup has been Cristina Mayorova who is 4-2 from the No. 2 position. She is 8-10 overall this season.

Series History

  • South Carolina narrowly leads the all-time series against Clemson 31-28. The two teams first faced on March 25, 1976 in Columbia with the Gamecocks coming out on top 8-1.
  • The two teams have faced 59 times in the history of both programs with 27 of those matchups happening in Columbia. While on their home courts, South Carolina is 17-10 and has won each of the last five matches at home.
  • South Carolina has won eight of the last nine matchups with the Tigers taking the most recent meeting in 2023 in Clemson 4-2.

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

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