Six Gamecocks Head to ITA All-Americans
COLUMBIA, S.C. –South Carolina women’s tennis is sending six to the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C., this weekend. In singles, the Gamecocks earned one main draw and four pre-qualifying entries, while two doubles teams will open in pre-qualifying.
With her preseason No. 24 ranking, junior Kaitlyn Carnicella is one of 48 players in the nation to earn a spot in the singles main draw, which will begin on Wed., Sept. 24. After finishing last season ranked 46th in the nation with a 19-11 singles mark that included five wins over ranked opponents, the second-year Gamecock opened her 2025-26 slate with a 3-0 mark last weekend at Furman, not dropping a set in the tournament.
Three sophomores and a freshman will represent the Gamecocks in prequalifying, which begins on Sat., Sept. 20. Bella Bergqvist Larsson got her sophomore year started with a 3-0 weekend at Furman last week, playing in Flight 2 singles. Sophomore Helena Buchwald is set for her season debut in Cary after she turned in a 10-6 mark in dual matches last season. Sophomore Jana Stojanova and freshman Daniela Piani will also take the court for the first time this fall in pre-qualifying. Stojanova went 6-3 in limited action last season. Piani joined the Gamecocks after a juniors career that saw her climb as high as No. 104 in the ITF Junior Rankings.
In doubles action, Carnicella and Piani will pair up as will Buchwald and graduate student Lauren Friedman to take the courts in pre-qualifying. The Buchwald/Friedman duo played in the No. 3 position in dual matches last season with a 5-4 mark, including a 4-3 record in SEC action.
Complete draws and match times can be found on the ITA website. Fans can follow live scoring or watch live video streams throughout the tournament.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWTennis) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s tennis program.
