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Men’s Tennis Begins NCAA Tournament Friday in Raleigh
Men's Tennis  . 

Men’s Tennis Begins NCAA Tournament Friday in Raleigh

Raleigh, N.C. – No. 16 South Carolina men’s tennis begins NCAA Tournament action on Friday in Raleigh, N.C. The Gamecocks will take on No. 54 Old Dominion at the J. W. Isenhour Tennis Complex at 1:00 p.m.

Gates will open one hour prior to the match. Fans not in attendance can find live results here with live streaming here.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina is 17-14 overall this season and went 4-8 in conference play. They are coming off of an appearance in the SEC Tournament title match where they recorded three top-20 upsets but fell to then-No. 4 Kentucky in the finale.
  • There are three Gamecocks in the ITA singles rankings led by Toby Samuel at No. 6. Samuel is 19-5 from the top of the lineup this season and has 13 wins over ranked opponents.
  • Samuel is followed in the rankings by James Story at No. 97. Story is 12-10 overall this season with an 8-4 mark at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
  • Casey Hoole rounds out South Carolina’s ranked singles players at No. 101. Is has a 19-19 overall record but has not played a singles match since march due to injury.
  • Samuel and Hoole also pair up in the doubles rankings at No. 20 thanks to their 9-5 dual match record. The pair has four ranked wins but has not played together since March due to Hoole’s injury.
  • Samuel earns a second entry in the doubles rankings alongside Story. The duo is No. 43 and holds a pair of ranked wins with one over No. 38 and the other over No. 4.

 NCAA Tournament History

  • This year marks the tenth time the Gamecocks have been selected to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Josh Goffi, including each of the last seven tournaments. The program has been to a total of 29 tournaments.
  • South Carolina is 7-2 in NCAA Tournament first-round matches under Goffi.
  • Since the debut of the 64-team format, South Carolina has made 19 appearances in the tournament.
  • The team is 24-28 overall in NCAA Tournament matches and is 15-13 in first round matches.
  • The program’s best finish was in 1989 in the semifinals of the events.
  • In 2023 South Carolina advanced to the quarterfinals after taking down then-No. 9 Tennessee in the Super Regionals in Knoxville.
  • The Gamecocks have advanced to the Round of 16 or better in each of the last three seasons.

Scouting the Monarchs

  • Old Dominion earned an automatic bid to this year’s NCAA Tournament thanks to their second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament title.
  • The Monarchs went 20-7 overall this season an 7-1 in SBC play. They are 7-3 when playing on the road and 4-2 in neutral site matches.
  • Old Dominion is led by freshman Connor van Schalkwyk who has a 19-4 dual match record. He was recently named the SBC Freshman of the Year and first team All-Conference in singles.
  • The Monarch doubles are led by brother Codie van Schalkwyk and Rolland da Ravel with a perfect 14-0 mark from the No. 2 position.
  • The van Schalkwyk brothers are the lone Monarchs in the ITA rankings, coming in at No. 57 together in doubles.

Series History

  • South Carolina and Old Dominion have faced nine times in recorded history with the Gamecocks winning all nine meetings. The two teams first faced in March of 1981 in Columbia with South Carolina winning 8-1.
  • Under Goffi, South Carolina has met the Monarchs three times, at each a home, away, and neutral environment. The Gamecocks won all three meetings by a margin of 14-3.
  • Old Dominion and South Carolina met twice in 2018 with South Carolina winning 6-1 during the regular season in Norfolk, Va., and the two teams meeting again in Winston-Salem, N.C., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 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).

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