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Men’s Tennis Goes on the Road for Pair of Ranked SEC Matches
Men's Tennis  . 

Men’s Tennis Goes on the Road for Pair of Ranked SEC Matches

Columbia, S.C. – No. 20 South Carolina men’s tennis will hit the road this weekend, making stops at No. 34 Georgia on Friday and No. 8 Tennessee on Sunday.

The Gamecocks and Bulldogs will meet on Friday, March 29 at 5:00 p.m. in Athens with live stats and streaming available here.

South Carolina will then head to Knoxville where they will take on the Volunteers on Saturday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. Live stats will be available here with live streaming here.

Both matches will also be aired on the SEC CrossCourt Cast on ESPN+

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is currently ranked No. 20 in the ITA Team Rankings and has a 10-9 record on the year. They are 3-4 in conference play this season and have a 3-2 record when playing on the road.
  • In the ITA Singles Rankings, senior Toby Samuel comes in at No. 21 while junior Casey Hoole sits at No. 105.
  • Samuel’s spot in the rankings is a season-high for the Bournemouth, England, native who has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation during his career. He has a record of 11-4 this season and a perfect 7-0 mark against SEC opponents.
  • Hoole has a 19-19 overall record with a 7-10 mark in dual play. He holds four ranked wins this season with victories over then-Nos. 11, 48, 49, and 87.
  • The Gamecock underclassmen have been rising to the occasion recently with sophomore Lucas Andrade da Silva winning seven of his last ten matches and freshman Sean Daryabeigi winning three of his last five.
  • In the doubles rankings, Samuel and Hoole pair up as the nation’s No. 19 pair. The duo is 9-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Scouting the Bulldogs

  • Georgia is 10-9 on the season and currently ranked No. 30 in the ITA Team Rankings. They are 3-4 in conference play and 9-4 on their home courts this season.
  • There are three Bulldogs in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 58 Ryan Colby, No. 61 Thomas Paulsell, and No. 81 Miguel Perez Pena.
  • Paulsell has been Georgia’s primary No. 1 this season. He is 13-14 overall and 6-8 in dual matches.
  • Colby has been a consistent No. 2 for the team. He is 18-12 overall and 9-6 in dual play with a 4-3 mark against SEC opponents.
  • There are no Bulldogs currently in the doubles rankings, however Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu have been holding down the top of the lineup. The duo is 7-3 overall and 6-2 from the No. 1 position. They are a perfect 3-0 in SEC play.

Scouting the Volunteers

  • Tennessee is 17-4 overall this season and a perfect 13-0 at home. They have a 6-1 record in conference play with their lone loss coming against Texas A&M in College Station.
  • There are three Vols in the ITA Singles Rankings – No. 5 Johannus Monday, No. 40 Shunsuke Mitsui, and No. 109 Filip Pieczonka.
  • Monday leads the team with a 17-2 overall record. He is 16-2 from the No. 1 position and a perfect 6-0 in SEC play.
  • Mitsui is 14-4 overall with an 11-4 mark at No. 2. He is 5-2 against SEC opponents.
  • Pieczonka is 11-4 overall and also 5-2 in SEC play. He is 7-1 at No. 5
  • Monday and Angel Diaz lead the Vols in doubles this season and are ranked No. 7 in the country. The duo is 10-3 from the top of the lineup and 5-2 in SEC play.
  • Pieczonka and Mitsui are also in the doubles rankings together at No. 20. The duo is 15-1 overall and 7-0 in SEC play.

Series History versus Georgia

  • Georgia leads the all-time series 41-10 and has won each of the last three meetings.
  • The two teams first faced in 1970 in Athens with Georgia taking the match.
  • South Carolina’s last win of the series was in 2021 during the SEC Championship with the Gamecocks winning it 4-2.
  • Under head coach Josh Goffi, South Carolina is 4-11 against Georgia.

Series History versus Tennessee

  • Tennessee leads the all-time series 39-22. The two teams first met in 1968 with the Gamecocks sweeping the match 9-0 in Columbia.
  • South Carolina won the most recent meeting between the two team 4-2 in Knoxville during the NCAA Super Regionals in 2023.
  • The two teams have traded wins on the road recently with Tennessee winning in Columbia in 2021 and 2023 and South Carolina winning in Knoxville in 2022 and 2023.
  • Under Goffi, South Carolina is 4-11 against Tennessee.

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

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