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Women’s Tennis Welcomes Another Pair of Top-20 Opponents
Women's Tennis  . 

Women’s Tennis Welcomes Another Pair of Top-20 Opponents

Columbia, S.C. – ­No. 19 South Carolina women’s tennis will wrap a four-match homestand this weekend, hosting No. 17 Alabama and No. 13 Auburn on Friday and Sunday.

The meeting with the Crimson Tide will take place Friday and 3:00 p.m. with the dual against the Tigers on Sunday at noon.

Admission to both matches is free and open to the public with gates to the Carolina Tennis Center opening one hour prior to first serve. As a reminder to fans, dogs are not permitted at the Carolina Tennis Center.

Fan parking will be available at City of Columbia meters on streets surrounding the athletic village, subject to corresponding parking fees. Fans are also permitted to park at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center located at 523 Superior Street.

Those not in attendance can view live streaming for both matches here with live stats against Alabama here and against Auburn here.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the latest ITA Team Rankings and has been ranked as high as No. 14 this season. The team is 9-4 overall with a 7-1 record at home this season.
  • The Gamecocks have three players in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 8 Ayana Akli, No. 10 Sarah Hamner, and No. 125 Shahar Biran.
  • Akli is 19-8 overall this season and 6-4 in dual play, all from the No. 1 position. She finished the fall as the national runner-up and has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation this year.
  • Hamner has a team-leading 22-6 record this season and is 9-1 in dual play from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. She has 13 ranked wins this season with her most recent coming in straight sets over the nation’s No. 25 player.
  • Biran is 11-12 overall and 6-5 in dual play from the No. 3 spot in the lineup.
  • In the doubles rankings, Akli comes in at No. 30 with Olympe Lancelot and at No. 41 with Sarah Hamner.
  • Akli and Lancelot are 7-2 this season and 4-2 from the top of the doubles lineup.
  • Akli and Hamner are 6-6 this season and 3-2 from the top of the lineup. The duo is coming off of an upset of the nation’s No. 8 ranked team.

Scouting the Crimson Tide

  • Alabama is 13-1 this season and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. They enter the weekend on an 11-match win streak and with a 1-1 record on the road. Their lone loss came at NC State during the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
  • The Crimson Tide has three player in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 32 Loudmilla Bencheikh, No. 83 Petra Sedlackova, and No. 116 Ola Pitak.
  • Bencheikh is 12-10 this season and 1-3 in SEC play.
  • Sedlackova is 16-9 this season and a perfect 4-0 in SEC play from the No. 2 position.
  • Pitak is 9-3 overall and also 4-0 in SEC play. She enters the weekend on a seven-match win streak.
  • Also in the rankings for Alabama are Bencheikh and Anne Marie Hiser at No. 20 in the doubles rankings. The duo is 6-1 in their last seven matches.

Scouting the Tigers

  • Auburn is 10-5 this season and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. They are 2-2 when playing on the road this season and enter the weekend on a five-match win streak. They will face Florida on Friday before their stop in Columbia on Sunday.
  • There are three Tigers in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 14 Carolyn Ansari, No. 64 DJ Bennett, and No. 70 Ariana Arseneault.
  • Ansari is 14-7 overall this season and 8-3 in dual matches, all from the top of the lineup.
  • Bennett is a team-leading 20-9 this season with a 10-4 dual record. She has a 1-0 mark from No. 2, and 7-3 mark at No. 3, and a 2-1 mark at No. 4.
  • Arseneault is 11-9 this season and 7-4 in dual play. She enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak.
  • In the doubles rankings, Bennett is ranked No. 19 with Arseneault and No. 29 with Selin Ovunc.
  • Bennett and Arseneault are 5-1 from the top of the lineup this season and have recorded wins in their last four completed matches.
  • Bennett and Ovunc are also 5-1 this season but have not played together in dual matches.

The Alabama Series

  • South Carolina leads the all-timer series against Alabama 22-12 and has won each of the last eight matchups.
  • The two teams first faced on March 8, 1980 in Columbia with the Gamecocks sweeping the match 9-0.
  • Under Head Coach Kevin Epley, South Carolina is 8-4 against Alabama.
  • Alabama’s last win in Columbia was a 4-2 result in 2015.

The Auburn Series

  • South Carolina leads the all-time series against Auburn 31-11.
  • The two teams first faced March 1, 1985 in Columbia with South Carolina winning 5-2.
  • Under Head Coach Kevin Epley, South Carolina is 6-6 against Auburn.
  • Auburn’s last win in Columbia was a 4-3 victory in 2017.

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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