Women's Tennis . February 23, 2025

Hamner Defeats No. 1 Singles Player in NCAA as Gamecocks Fall to Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – The South Carolina women’s tennis team opened conference play at No. 1 Georgia on Sunday afternoon, ultimately falling 1-6 to the Bulldogs after picking up two ranked upset wins across singles and doubles.

The Gamecocks jumped to an early advantage as No. 57 Sarah Hamner and Kaitlyn Carnicella, who were playing together for the first time in the 2025 dual match season at the top of the lineup, upset No. 25 Dasha Vidamanova and Mell Reasco in a 6-4 showing. The Bulldogs responded with a win from the No. 2 position as No. 65 Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata topped Olympe Lancelot and Helena Buchwald 6-4. It all came down to Bella Bergkvist Larsson and Jana Stojanova who were battling No. 81 Aysegul Mert and Hayden Mulberry on court 3. The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, jumping to a 3-1 lead after winning back-to-back games. Larsson and Stojanova fought back in a similar fashion, leveling the score to 3-all. Georgia took off, winning the next three games to put up a 6-3 score and secure the doubles point for the Buldogs.

In singles action Georgia set the tone early, picking up first set wins across all six courts. The Bulldogs advanced to a 2-0 lead with a win from court 4 where #56 Aysegul Mert topped Misa Malkin 6-1, 6-1. Hamner and Buchwald staged comebacks in their matches, both earning second set wins to force super tiebreakers.

The Bulldogs continued to dominate, earning straight set wins on courts 2 and 5 to officially clinch the match 4-0. Lancelot fell 3-6, 2-6 which provided Georgia its fifth point of the match. Buchwald put up a fight against Sofia Rojas in the super tiebreaker but ultimately dropped her match after loosing 6-10.

Hamner was valiant against the No. 1 singles player in the NCAA Dasha Vidmanova, controlling the entire super tiebreaker set by taking the lead and not looking back. The senior stormed ahead to a 4-1 advantage before Vidmanova closed the deficit to 4-3. Hamner held her ground, expanding her edge to 7-4 but the Bulldog responded quickly and assertively to only trail the Gamecock by 1. Leading 8-7, Hamner used a final surge to claim the last two points and defeat the top collegiate player in the country on a forced error.

The Gamecocks return home on Fri., Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m. to host Florida.

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

(49) South Carolina 1, (1) Georgia 6

Doubles (order of finish:1,3,2)

#57 Kaitlyn Carnicella/Sarah Hamner (SC) def. #25 Dasha Vidmanova/Mell Reasco (UGA) 6-4
#65 Guillermina Grant/Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. Olympe Lancelot/Helena Buchwald (SC) 6-4
#81 Aysegul Mert/Hayden Mulberry (UGA) def. Bella Bergkvist Larsson/Jana Stojanova (SC) 6-3

Singles (order of finish:4,2,5,3,6,1)