No. 11 Women's Tennis Hits the Road for Two SEC Matches
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 11 South Carolina women’s tennis hits the road to face a pair of SEC opponents Friday and Sunday. The Gamecocks will travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on Mizzou at 3 p.m. ET and then travel north to face #35 Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. ET.
ITA RANKINGS
- South Carolina stands at No. 11 in the latest ITA Team Top-25 Poll. This marks the highest ranking so far this season for the Gamecocks. After entering the poll at No. 23 on Feb. 11, South Carolina has remained in the rankings for four straight weeks.
- The Gamecocks have two singles and two doubles entries in the latest individual rankings.
- Kaitlyn Carnciella sits 47th in singles competition. Helena Buchwald enters the mix, ranking 77th in singles play.
- The duo of Lauren Friedman and Helena Buchwald sits in 21st, while Friedman and Sara Borkop sit in 82nd.
LAST TIME OUT
Then ranked No. 18, Helena Buchwald and Lauren Friedman entered their doubles match tied 1-1 against Ole Miss’ ranked No. 71 Emily Welker and Andrea Nova, then surged ahead to a 4-1 lead. They kept the momentum going and closed out the set convincingly, 6-1, to earn the first win of the match. Jane Dunyon and Kaitlyn Carnicella also started strong, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Ole Miss responded by cutting the deficit to 3-2, eventually leveling the score at 3-3. The Rebels maintained their push and ultimately took the match 6-4.
On the deciding doubles court, Jana Stojanova and Sara Borkop built a 3-1 advantage, but Ole Miss’ Brooklyn Olson and Beatrice Stagno battled back to tie the match at 5-5. The Rebels then captured the final two games to win 7-5 and secure the doubles point.
South Carolina responded strongly in singles, with five Gamecocks taking first sets. Stojanova claimed her opening set 6-1 and earned South Carolina’s first point of the match after an Ole Miss retirement. Carnicella, facing No. 11 Welker, controlled her match from the start, winning 6-2, 6-2 to add another point and help take the lead for the Gamecocks at 2-1. Buchwald dominated her first set 6-0, then edged a tight second-set tiebreaker 7-6 to push the lead to match point, 3-1. Borkop dropped a close opening set 7-6 before falling 6-2 in the second, giving Ole Miss a point and narrowing the overall score to 3-2. Dunyon split her first two sets, 7-5 and 5-7, before Ole Miss claimed the deciding tiebreak to even the match at 3-3.
The outcome ultimately came down to Goetz on court four. After winning the first set 7-5 and dropping the second by the same score, she battled through a decisive third-set tiebreak, taking it 7-5 to clinch the match for the Gamecocks.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Missouri comes into the match up 9-5 (0-3 SEC) after sweeping Lindenwood 4-0.
- The Tigers finished the 2025 season 13-15 (2-13 SEC)
SERIES HISTORY
- South Carolina leads the overall series against Missouri 13-0.
- The Gamecocks are 6-0 all-time against the Tigers when playing at home and 6-0 on the road. The first overall meeting dates to 2013 in a neutral site matchup.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
- Vanderbilt sits 35th in the most recent ITA team rankings alongside four singles players and three doubles pairs.
- The duo of Sophia Webster and Celia-Belle Mohr leads the way, sitting fifth in doubles competition. The two are 6-1 in dual matches and 21-3 overall. Mohr is ranked 24th in singles as well.
- The Commodores are 11-4 overall and 1-2 in SEC play. They are coming off back-to-back losses from No. 16 Texas and No.4 Texas A&M.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Gamecocks are 19-25 all-time against Vanderbilt.
- The Commodores claimed the last matchup in 2025, but the Gamecocks earned back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live scoring will be available on StatBroadcast. 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).
