Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina women’s tennis had two players place in the top-20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s final fall rankings released on Wednesday.
Sophomore Sarah Hamner earned the No. 6 ranking from the ITA after achieving a 12-5 record through the fall season. Hamner kicked off the season by winning her flight at the Furman Fall Classic and followed it up with a run to the consolation title match at the College Ranked Spotlight.
The Boca Raton, Florida, native earned an automatic bid into the main draw at the ITA All-American Championships where she took down the nation’s No. 16 player before falling in the second round. Hamner then went on to take down six opponents to earn the title at the ITA Carolina Region Championships.
Hamner concluded her season at the ITA Fall National Championships where she earned a win over the nation’s 74th ranked player. In total, Hamner went 7-4 against ranked opponents with her most notable wins over Nos. 6, 10, and 16.
Senior Ayana Akli also earned her spot in the ITA’s rankings, coming in at No. 20. This marks Akli’s highest career ranking with her previous high being No. 28 which she achieved during the 2021-22 season.
Akli, amassed a 12-6 record with a 7-6 mark over ranked opponents. The senior advanced from the qualifying to the main draw at the ITA All-American Championships and later advanced to the main draw consolation semifinals. Her most notable win of the fall semester was an upset over No. 17 Kari Miller in the first round of the singles consolation at the All-American Championships.
Hamner, Akli, and the rest of the Gamecocks will return to action in the spring for dual match play beginning in January.
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