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Gamecocks Host Pair of Top 20 Opponents to Close out Home Matches
Men's Tennis  . 

Gamecocks Host Pair of Top 20 Opponents to Close out Home Matches

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 13 South Carolina Men’s Tennis team (13-5, 6-4 SEC) welcomes two top 20 programs to Columbia this week to wrap up home matches for the 2025-26 regular season. The Gamecocks are slated to face No. 7 LSU on Thursday, April 2 at 1:00 p.m. before rounding out this week’s competition against No. 19 Vanderbilt on Saturday, April 4 at 4:00 p.m.

Both matches will take place at the Carolina Outdoor Tennis Center, weather permitting. Pit parking is available first come first serve. Fans are also encouraged to use metered lots around the facility.

PROMOTIONS

A T-shirt raffle will be held at both matches. Thursday’s match will serve as Staff Appreciation Night and will feature a button giveaway. Saturday’s match is Senior Day, with Lucas da Silva set to be honored prior to the start of play. Fans can also enjoy an Easter egg hunt and a rally towel giveaway.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

  • Last time out, the Gamecocks went 2-0 on the road, defeating Alabama 5-2 and No. 23 Auburn 4-3 to extend their win streak to three consecutive matches.
  • Against both opponents, the same two pairs clinched the doubles point to provide early leads for South Carolina. Max Stenzer & Atakan Karahan and Gabe Avram & Charlie Swaine went 2-0, each getting a shot at playing at the No. 2 and 3 positions.
  • Stenzer also went 2-0 in singles as the only Gamecock to pick up wins against both opponents. Additionally, Paul Barbier Gazeu and Karahan claimed singles wins against the Tigers while da Silva, Avram and Swaine took victories against the Crimson Tide.
  • Gazeu and da Silva hold the most singles wins in conference play thus far, with seven victories apiece. They hold records of 7-3 and 7-2, respectively.
  • Avram and Swaine are undefeated in SEC play for doubles, going 3-0. Sean Daryabeigi and Stenzer are 4-2 while Gazeu and da Silva are 3-3.
  • The Gamecocks’ past 11 consecutive matches have been against ranked opponents.

IN THE RANKINGS

  • The Gamecocks moved up three spots in the most recent ITA rankings, released earlier this week. The team has matched its highest ranking of the season, sitting at No. 13.
  • Senior da Silva continues to lead the team in singles rankings, reaching his highest of the season and collegiate career at No. 12. Sean Daryabeigi sits at No. 56 and Gazeu rounds out the singles rankings at No. 105.
  • In doubles, da Silva and Barbier Gazeu headline the rankings at No. 15. Daryabeigi and da Silva follow at No. 63 while Daryabeigi and Stenzer are No. 90.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

No. 7 LSU enters the matchup holding a 21-5 overall record and a 7-4 mark in SEC play this season. The Tigers are coming off a 4-1 win over then-No. 17 Vanderbilt on the road to snap a two-match losing streak where they fell to Auburn (5-2) and Mississippi State (6-1). Erik Arutiunian leads the team in ITA singles rankings, sitting at No. 27 with a 7-2 conference record, going 6-1 from the top of the lineup. Olaf Pieczkowski (No. 42) and Andrej Loncarevic (no. 104) round out the standings. In doubles, Loncarevic and Sasa Markovic are the lone ranked pair for LSU, coming in at No. 17. The two hold an 11-4 record overall from the first position, going 5-3 in SEC matches.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES

No. 19 Vanderbilt enters the matchup with a 15-9 record on the year, and a 4-7 record in SEC play. The Commodores are coming off a 4-0 win against Butler at home, and will take on No. 21 Florida on the road before heading to Columbia. Vanderbilt is represented in the latest edition of the ITA Singles Rankings by Pablo Martinez Gomez (No. 79) and Hoyoung Roh (No. 88). Roh also appears in the doubles rankings with his partner Nathan Cox at No. 20. The pair is 8-5 from the top of the lineup this season.

SERIES HISTORY

  • LSU leads the all-time series record against the Gamecocks 30-21. The Gamecocks have won 11 of the last 12 matchups, most recently defeating the Tigers 4-2 in Baton Rouge.
  • The Gamecocks lead the series matchup with Vanderbilt 22-14. South Carolina last faced the Commodores in Nashville during the 2025 season and defeated them 4-3 on a clincher from Avram.

FOLLOW ALONG

Both matches will be streamed on TrackTennis with live scoring available on StatBroadcast. Links to each can be found on the schedule page. Fans can also follow along via in-match updates on X, @GamecockMTennis.

For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).

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