Columbia, S.C. – No. 5 South Carolina men’s tennis will host No. 7 Georgia and No. 9 Tennessee this weekend for a pair of top-10 SEC matches.
On Friday, the Gamecocks will have a rematch of the first round of the ITA Indoor National Championships where then-No. 13 Georgia narrowly defeated the then-No. 8 Gamecocks 4-3. In that match, South Carolina took the doubles point but the Bulldogs were able to come back to take four of the six singles matches for the victory.
On Sunday, South Carolina will host No. 9 Tennessee who enters the weekend on a hot streak, winning their last four matches including a 4-0 shutout of then-No. 4 Kentucky and a 4-1 romp of then-No. 9 Columbia.
With projected rain in the forecast, locations for both matches will be determined closer to competition time. Barring rain, matches will be played outdoors at the Carolina Tennis Center located at 1318 Heyward Street. Free parking is available in the Heyward Street Garage. Any inclement weather will push matches inside to the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center located at 529 Superior Street. Free parking is available on the premises. Location updates will be posted on the team’s social media pages.
Admission to both matches is free and open to the public. Gates will open one hour prior to first serve each day. Those not in attendance are encouraged to view live streaming for Friday’s match here and live stats here. For Sunday’s match, live streaming will be available here and live stats here.
Gamecock Notables
- South Carolina is 17-3 on the season with a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Gamecocks are coming off of a 6-1 win at home over No. 55 Arkansas and a 5-2 win on the road at No. 32 Ole Miss.
- The Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation by the ITA but have been ranked as high as No. 2 this season. The team has four top-10 wins this season with two in the top-5 and ten of their 17 wins have come over ranked opponents.
- Four Gamecocks make appearances in the latest ITA Singles Rankings this week – No. 6 Toby Samuel, No. 11 Connor Thomson, No. 88 Casey Hoole, and No. 120 Raphael Lambling.
- Samuel has led the team in singles this season from the No. 1 position. The junior is 21-4 overall with a 16-3 mark in dual play including a 6-2 record against SEC opponents. He has 12 wins over ranked opponents this season including two in the top-10.
- Thomson has been South Carolina’s primary No. 2 player this season. He has an overall record of 28-5 with a 15-3 mark in…