
Gamecocks Host Florida and Auburn for SEC Home Opener
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 53 South Carolina women’s tennis team is set to host Florida and No. 6 Auburn for its SEC home opener. The Gamecocks face the Gators on Fri., Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m. and the Tigers on Sun., March 2 at 1:00 p.m.
The pit will be closed to fans for parking. Those attending are encouraged to park in metered spots or at the indoor facility and walk over.
Gamecocks Notables:
- The Gamecocks are coming off a hard fought 6-1 loss against No. 1 Georgia. Sarah Hamner earned South Carolina’s lone point after defeating the No. 1 singles player in the NCAA in a three-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 7-6(8-6), 1-0 (10-7).
- The duo of Hamner and Kaitlyn Carnicella picked up a ranked win in doubles to kick off the match, defeating No. 25 6-4 . The Bulldogs No. 65 pair defeated Olympe Lancelot and Helena Buchwald 6-4 from the third position to leave the doubles point up to court 2. Bella Bergvist Larsson and Jana Stojanova fell to the No. 81 pair 6-3, giving Georgia the 1-0 advantage.
- In singles play, four of the Gamecocks faced ranked opponents. No. 56 Aysegul Mert defeated Misa Malkin 6-1, 6-1 to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead followed by Carnicella who fell to No. 39 Anastasiia Lopata 6-2, 6-2 from the second position. Bergkvist Larsson narrowly lost her first set in a tie break and ultimately fell 7-6(7-3), 6-1, which allowed Georgia to clinch the win. Lancelot fell 6-3, 6-2 from court 3. Buchwald won her first set 6-2, but narrowly lost her second set in a 6(6)-7 tie break, as well as her super tie breaker, 10-6.
- In the ITA Rankings, Hamner is No. 29 in singles while Carnicella is No. 68. Carnicella and Lancelot are slotted at No. 52 for doubles while Carnicella and Hamner are No. 57.
- With her win over No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova, Hamner moved to a 4-2 singles record on the season. Stojanova and Malkin have strong records of 5-2.
- Following her dominant performances, Hamner was tabbed SEC Co-Player of the Week on Wednesday. This marks the first time that the senior has earned the honor in her collegiate career.
Scouting the Gators:
- Florida is coming off of a 5-2 loss on the road against Auburn.
- The Gators are 3-3 so far this season with a 1-2 road standing.
- The duo of Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney are the No. 6 pair in the NCAA with an 8-1 record.
Scouting the Tigers:
- No. 6 Auburn is 12-1 with its lone loss coming from then-No. 1 Georgia when the Tigers fell 1-4.
- Auburn’s win against Florida was the team’s SEC opener.
- The No. 2 singles player in the NCAA, DJ Bennett is 5-1 for the Tigers so far this season. She’s coming off a loss to Florida’s Gailis.
- Auburn’s Merna Refaat earned a No. 17 ranking, Angella Okutoyi is No. 57 and Ava Esposito Cogan sits at No. 116.
- In doubles play, Bennett is ranked No. 20 with her partner Ava Hrastar. The duo of Okutoyi and Refaat are No. 69.
Series History
- The Gators lead the Gamecocks 50-5 in the all-time record for the two program’s series history. Florida enters the match on a four-game win streak over South Carolina.
- The Gamecocks lead the Tigers 32-11 in the all-time series record. South Carolina has won five of the last seven matchups.
Follow Along
- Both matches will be streamed on TrackTennis and live stats will be available on StatBroadcast. Click here for the links. Live scoring will also be available on IonCourt. Click here for Florida’s match and here for Auburn’s.
For the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).