Men's Tennis . January 15, 2025

Gamecocks Host No. 5 Virginia for Thursday Night Match

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 15 South Carolina men’s tennis is set to host a top 20 matchup against No. 5 Virginia on Thurs., Jan. 16. The Gamecocks will welcome the Cavaliers for a 5 p.m. start at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center to face their first ranked opponent of 2025.

Gamecock Notables

The Gamecocks started off the spring season strong earlier this week, sweeping both Furman and The Citadel 7-0 for their home opener.
South Carolina won each of their singles matches in straight sets against both programs.
Four freshmen, Gabe Avram, Atakan Karahan, Max Stenxer and Cole Henceroth, made their collegiate dual match debuts, each picking up singles and doubles wins.
Avram shutout Cole Burnam of Furman in singles, winning 6-0, 6-0.
Two Gamecocks, Sean Daryabeigi (No. 55) and Jelani Sarr (No. 77), earned ITA Singles Rankings ahead of the match in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Karahan and Sarr were ranked No. 85 for doubles.

Scouting the Cavaliers

The Cavaliers fell in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament to Wake Forest after finishing their 2023-24 season with a 25-6 overall record.
Dylan Dietrich represented Virginia at the NCAA Individual Championships this past November, falling in the round of 32 to wrap up the 2024 fall season for the Cavaliers.
This matchup will mark the beginning of 2025 spring dual matches for Virginia.
Dylan Dietrich (No. 57) and Mans Dahlberg (No. 86) open their spring seasons with ITA Singles Rankings. The two are also ranked No. 85 for doubles.

Series History

The Gamecocks faced the Cavaliers in their first and final matches of the 2024 dual season.
South Carolina opened their season on the road, upsetting a then No. 1 Virginia 4-3 in Charlottesville after Daryabeigi clinched the final point for the Gamecocks in the third set.
The two teams last met in the 2024 NCAA Super Regionals. South Carolina fell to Virginia despite claiming the doubles point. The Cavaliers swept the singles courts and defeated the Gamecocks 4-1, ending South Carolina’s 2024 dual season.
South Carolina leads the all-time series record against Virginia, 9-8. The Cavaliers have taken three of the last four matches since 2019.

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