No. 23 Gamecocks Hosts Charlotte and SC State for Double Header on Saturday
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 23 South Carolina women’s tennis team welcomes Charlotte and SC State for a double-header matchup on Saturday at the Carolina Outdoor Tennis Center.
Following South Carolina’s match against SC State, the Bulldogs will face the Charlotte Niners at 4 p.m. for a neutral-site match. Fans can park in the grass lot between the Athletics Village parking garage and the Carolina Tennis Center, as well as in metered street spots (subject to fees via the ParkMobile app).
ITA RANKINGS
- In the latest ITA Team Top-25 Poll, South Carolina rose to 23rd after upsetting No. 21 Clemson.
- Four Gamecocks found themselves in the first ITA rankings of the year.
- Kaitlyn Carnciella sits 80th in singles competition.
- The duo of Lauren Friedman and Helena Buchwald is ranked 37th, while Friedman and Sara Borkop are 78th.
LAST TIME OUT
South Carolina claimed four singles victories in a comeback thriller to upset No. 21 Clemson, 4-3, on Tuesday night at the Carolina Outdoor Tennis Center.
The Gamecock duo of Taylor Goetz and Jana Stojanova finished first on court five, falling 6-2 to Clemson’s pair. From the first position, the No. 37 duo of Lauren Friedman and Helena Buchwald upset the Tigers’ No. 23 duo to earn the Gamecocks first doubles win. Ultimately, the doubles point came down to court one, where Jane Dunyon and Kaitlyn Carnicella lost in a hard-fought battle, 7-6(3).
After falling on four courts in the first set, South Carolina stormed back to take each court’s second frame, pushing a third set. Helena Buchwald secured the first singles point, coming back from a 0-6 deficit in the first frame, leveling at 6-2 in the second frame and clinching the point 6-2 in the third. Sara Borkop dropped court three in a three-set battle to give Clemson back the 2-1 lead. No. 80 Kaitlyn Carnicella secured Carolina’s second singles point in comeback fashion. She fell 1-6 in the first set before pushing back 6-3 and eventually took the final frame 6-4 to even the match at 2-2 overall. Jane Dunyon was one of two Gamecocks to win in her first set (6-4) but fell in the second (2-6) before storming back 7-5 to give South Carolina the point and the first lead of the match 3-2. Jana Stojanova dropped her match on court six to even the score 3-3. It all came down to court four, where Taylor Goetz sealed the Gamecocks’ win with an upset win over Clemson’s No. 124-ranked singles player. Goetz fought hard in the first set, 7-6(4), but eventually fell in the second, 7-5. In the third set, Goetz powered through, grabbed the final set, 6-1, and secured the upset for the Gamecocks.
SCOUTING THE NINERS
Charlotte comes into the matchup 5-2, having won their last match, 5-2, against Furman. The Niners two losses were from No.3 UNC and No.21 Clemson. Sophomore Ni Xi is the lone Niner in the ITA rankings, sitting 76th in singles play.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
South Carolina State is 0-1 on the season, dropping their lone match so far this season to Charlotte, 0-6. The Bulldogs went 16-5 last season en route to claiming their 19th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. They were selected to finish first again this year.
SERIES HISTORY
The Gamecocks hold a 6-0 advantage over the Niners, each match-up occurring in Columbia. The last time these two programs met was in 2024, where South Carolina won 4-1. Against the Bulldogs, the Gamecocks are 4-0, each meeting also occurring in Columbia. SC State and South Carolina have only played each other four times, the most recent happening in 2015.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live scoring will be available on StatBroadcast with live streaming on Track Tennis. Fans can also follow along through in-match updates on X @GamecockWTennis.
For the latest South Carolina Women’s Tennis information, continue to follow Gamecocksonline.com and the team on social media (@GamecocksWTennis).
