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Women’s Tennis Set for ITA Kickoff Weekend at UVA
Women's Tennis  . 

Women’s Tennis Set for ITA Kickoff Weekend at UVA

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 20 South Carolina women’s tennis heads to Charlottesville, Virginia for the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 24 and 25.

The Gamecocks first face No. 7 Duke at 4:00 p.m. on Fri., Jan. 24. Earlier that day No. 5 Virginia takes on New Mexico at 1:00 p.m. The winner’s match is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 25. The champion of that match automatically advances to the ITA National Team Indoors. First serve of the consolation match begins at 6:30 p.m. on the same day.

Gamecock Notables

  • The Gamecocks are currently 2-0 in dual matches this season, kicking off 2025 with two shutout 5-0 wins over Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina.
  • Sarah Hamner, Kaitlyn Carnicella, Misa Malkin, Helena Buchwald and Bella Bergqvist Larsson each picked up at least one singles win after defeating their opponents in straight sets. Hamner and Buchwald clinched the doubles point against both teams.
  • A pair of Gamecocks, Hamner and Carnicella, represented the Garnet & Black in the ITA singles and doubles final fall rankings. Hamner sits at No. 17 while Carnicella is No. 39. In doubles, the two are No. 41.
  • In the latest edition of the ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll released on Jan. 22, the Gamecocks held onto their No. 20 spot.

Scouting the Blue Devils

  • The Blue Devils are undefeated in dual matches so far for the 2024-25 season, going 4-0 into the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The team is coming off of a doubleheader at home where it defeated both Virginia Tech and NC Central 4-0.
  • Duke upset No. 10 at the time Pepperdine for its second dual match of the year, coming from behind after dropping the doubles point to win 4-3.
  • Duke has moved up four spots in the most recent edition of the ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll, jumping from No. 11 to No. 7.
  • In the final fall season ITA rankings, the Blue Devils claimed six spots across singles and doubles. Emma Jackson (No. 25), Eleana Yu (No. 30), Irina Balus (No. 36) and Shavit Kimchi (No. 49) all rank in singles while Ellie Coleman and Balus (No. 10) as well as Jackson and Yu (No. 71) rank in doubles.
  • Balus and Coleman earned All-America accolades during the 2024 fall season after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship this past November.

Series History

  • Duke leads the all-time series record against South Carolina, 15-4.
  • The Blue Devils have won the last nine consecutive matchups against the Gamecocks.

Follow Along

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