Chapel Hill, N.C. – No. 31 South Carolina women’s tennis is set for the first round of the NCAA Tournament where they’ll be taking on No. 33 Old Dominion on Friday at 2:00 p.m. The first two rounds of the tournament will take place in Chapel Hill, N.C., at the Chewning Tennis Center, hosted by No. 1 overall seed North Carolina.
With a win, the Gamecocks would advance to face the winner of Friday’s first-round match between No. 1 North Carolina and Charleston Southern. Saturday’s second-round action is set for 4 p.m.
Gamecock Notables
- South Carolina women’s tennis is 13-10 overall this season and are currently ranked No. 31 in the nation by the ITA. The team has been ranked as high as No. 25 this season after upsetting then-No. 21 Vanderbilt.
- The Gamecocks are coming off an early departure in the SEC Tournament where they narrowly fell to No. 57 Kentucky in a match that came down to a third-set tiebreaker.
- South Carolina has two players in the latest ITA Singles Rankings – No. 12 Ayana Akli and No. 25 Sarah Hamner.
- Akli and Hamner are also ranked together in doubles, coming in at No. 33.
- Both Akli and Hamner were recently named to the All-SEC First Team for their performances during the regular season.
NCAA Tournament History
- This weekend marks South Carolina’s 28th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Gamecocks have advanced to the Round of 32 13 times, the Round of 16 four times, and the quarterfinals once.
- During the 2022 NCAA Tournament, South Carolina advanced to the Round of 32 after defeating Iowa State 4-0 in the first round. The Gamecocks later fell to No. 1 overall seed North Carolina in the second round.
Scouting the Monarchs
- Old Dominion went 18-4 overall this season and earned an automatic bid to the NCAAs after winning the Sun Belt Conference Championships in three shutout matches.
- The Monarchs are currently No. 33 in the ITA Team Rankings and have one player in the ITA Singles Rankings in No. 33 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya. Sasnouskaya is also in the doubles rankings, coming in at No. 42 with partner Sofia Johnson.
- Sasnouskaya has led the team this season from the No. 1 position where she went 13-3 and ended the regular season on a nine-match winning streak.
- Johnson has held primary duties at the No. 2 position for the team where she is 9-4. The sophomore is 12-5 overall.
- The Monarchs have found much singles success during the later portion of the season with five different players holding win…