Men’s Tennis Hosts VCU for First Round of NCAA Tournament
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 13 South Carolina men’s tennis team has qualified for its 30th NCAA Tournament in program history after earning an at-large bid, announced during the selection show on Monday evening. The Gamecocks are set to host the tournament at the Carolina Tennis Center for the third time in the past four seasons.
South Carolina (19-7, 11-3 SEC) will face VCU (13-11, 3-1 CONF) on Friday, May 2 at 5:00 p.m. for its eighth consecutive tournament.
The Gamecocks are coming off of a historic season entering this year’s tournament. South Carolina broke the program record for most regular season SEC wins, tallying 11 which included 10 ranked victories. After being ranked eighth in the preseason poll, the team finished in second in the conference standings which tied its highest SEC finish in program history.
Additionally, South Carolina made an impressive run in the 2025 SEC Tournament, advancing to the championship match for the second consecutive season, taking down then-No. 12 Mississippi State 4-3 in the semifinals after cruising past Florida 4-1 in the quarterfinals. South Carolina came up short in the title match, falling 4-1 to the SEC Champions Texas.
Head coach Josh Goffi has led the Gamecocks to 11 NCAA tournaments. He earned his 250th win with South Carolina during the SEC Championship.
The Gamecocks have three singles and two doubles rankings in the ITA’s latest release. Connor Thomson leads the team with a season high No. 12 standing followed by Sean Daryabeigi (No. 112) and Lucas da Silva (No. 124). In doubles Thomson and da Silva are one of the best duos in the nation this season, coming in at No. 3 while Atakan Karahan and Jelani Sarr are ranked No. 53.
Last week South Carolina picked up three All-SEC honors. Thomson was named to the First Team for the third consecutive season while da Silva and Casey Hoole were named to the Second Team.
The Gamecocks are one of 11 SEC programs to earn an NCAA appearance this year and one of four teams to host. Texas A&M, Texas and Tennessee are set to host while Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Oklahoma have qualified.
Schedule
Friday, May 2
Samford vs Florida State – 2:00 p.m.
VCU vs. South Carolina – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 3
Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – 5:00 p.m.
