Four Gamecocks Head to ITA All-Americans
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s tennis will send four entries to the ITA All-American Championships, which begin with pre-qualifying rounds on Sat., Sept. 21, at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. Senior Sarah Hamner, the tournament’s 2021 champion and current No. 10 player in the nation, earned a spot in the event’s main draw and will begin play in that on Wed., Sept. 25.
Seniors Misa Malkin and Olympe Lancelot and junior transfer Kaitlyn Carnicella look to earn their way into the main draw via pre-qualifying in their first season in the tournament’s field. Carnicella, who will open against Ohio State’s Teah Chavez, is carrying momentum from a solid 2-1 outing in the top singles flight of the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic last weekend with her lone loss coming in a three-set battle against the No. 46 player in the nation. Facing an opening round match against Denver’s Andrea Beltran, Lancelot also went 2-1 at the event, playing in the Singles Flight 6. Malkin will face Virginia Tech’s Ozlem Uslu in the opening round of pre-qualifying.
After claiming the ITA All-American Championship title as a freshman in 2021, Hamner reached the main draw semifinals in 2023. This tournament will be her 2024-25 season debut.
Hamner and Carnicella will also compete in doubles in the qualifying rounds, which begin on Mon., Sept. 23. The duo entered the season ranked NO. 27 in the nation.
Complete draws, schedules and results for the ITA All-American Championships will be post on the ITA Tournament Page. Cracked Racquets will stream Main Draw matches on the ITA YouTube channel, and matches will also stream on PlaySight.
Under the new format for NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, players and doubles teams in the ITA All-American Championships can qualify right into the NCAA Championships bracket. From singles, eight main draw quarterfinalists and two feed-in consolation finalists will punch their ticket directly into the NCAA Singles Championships. The four main draw doubles semifinalists will join them in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWTennis) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s tennis season.
