Columbia, S.C. – No. 5 South Carolina men’s tennis will host No. 5 Ohio State on Wednesday, March 7, at the Carolina Tennis Center. The top-5 matchup will begin at 1 p.m. with doubles action followed by singles play.
The Gamecocks recently made their way into the top-5 of the ITA Team Rankings after having taken down then-No. 5 Kentucky in Lexington last weekend. The No. 5 ranking ties for highest ranking in program history and is the highest in-season ranking ever. South Carolina’s last appearance in the top-5 came at the end of the 1989 season when the team earned a final ranking of No. T-5 under head coach Kent DeMars.
Action at the Carolina Tennis Center will begin at 1 p.m. with gates opening at noon. Admission to the match is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the Heyward Street garage, just a short walk away from the courts. Outside food and drink will be permitted.
Those not in attendance can view the match live via Track Tennis here and can follow live stats here.
Gamecock Notables
- South Carolina is 12-1 on the season and holds ranked wins over No. 18 North Carolina, No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 10 Baylor, No. 12 North Carolina, and No. 5 Kentucky. Their only loss of the season was to then-No. 13 Georgia at the ITA Indoor National Championships in Chicago, Ill.
- The Gamecocks have four individuals ranked in the latest ITA Singles Rankings – No. 5 Connor Thomson, No. 6 Toby Samuel, No. 83 Casey Hoole, and No. 84 Raphael Lambling.
- Thomson primarily plays at the No. 2 position where he has a 9-1 record in dual play. He is 23-3 overall this season and has an 8-2 record against ranked opponents, including three top-10 ranked wins. Thomson’s No. 5 ranking is the highest ranking of his career and he enters the dual on a four-match singles win streak.
- Samuel has lead the team from the top spot in the lineup this season where he is 10-2. He has a 15-3 overall record and a 7-2 record against ranked foes.
- Hoole holds down the No. 5 position for the Gamecocks. He is 5-4 from the No. 5 spot and has a 21-9 overall record with a 4-2 record against ranked opponents.
- Lambling is 8-5 overall and primarily plays at the No. 3 position for the Gamecocks.
- South Carolina has been dominant in doubles this season, winning the doubles point in 12 of their 13 matches. Overall in dual play, the team is 26-5 with a 9-1 mark from the No. 1 position, 11-2 from the No. 2 position, and 6-2 from the No. 3 position.
- Samuel and Thomson hold the…