Feb. 22, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina women’s tennis team moved to 6-0 Friday with a 5-2 victory against N.C. State at the USC Indoor Field House in Columbia, S.C. The Wolfpack dropped to 4-3 on the year with the loss.

Carolina took the doubles point by winning the top two positions. At one, Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori beat Berkeley Brock and Daria Petrovic 8-2. The Gamecock duo of Mijana Jocic and Natasa Vuckovic upended Lenka Hojckova and Julia Roach 8-4 to clinch the point.

The final match at three doubles between Carolina’s Suzanna Mansour and Megan McGavock and N.C. State’s Kristen Bleakley and Catherine Grotz went the distance. Both teams traded games until a tiebreaker was forced at 8-8. Mansour and McGavock led 4-2 at the first changeover and had match point at 6-5, but the Wolfpack countered and won the next three points to claim the victory.

The Gamecocks coasted in singles play, winning first at three singles where Vuckovic made short work of Roach 6-2, 6-2. Hojckova answered for the Wolfpack with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Mansour at four singles, but Schofield won soon afterward by scores of 6-1, 6-2 against Petrovic at the top slot. Zubori clinched the match by defeating Brock at No. 2 singles 6-4, 6-3.

Jelena Rajic added to the Gamecocks’ point total with an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory against Neils Barringer on court five. The final match at six singles saw McGavock drop a 6-2, 5-7, (10-4) decision to Bleakley.

South Carolina will host No. 24 Clemson on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center. Fans can enjoy free hotdogs and pizza as well as lemonade for the match. The remainder of Carolina’s home schedule will also feature free food and drinks.

#31 South Carolina (6-0) def. #41 North Carolina State (4-3), 5-2

Singles
1. #35 Gira Schofield, USC, def. Daria Petrovic, NCSU, 6-1, 6-2
2. #56 Ana Marija Zubori, USC, def. Berkeley Brock, NCSU, 6-4, 6-3
3. Natasa Vuckovic, USC, def. Julia Roach, NCSU, 6-2, 6-2
4. Lenka Hojckova, NCSU, def. Suzanna Mansour, USC, 6-2, 6-4
5. Jelena Rajic, USC, def. Neils Barringer, NCSU, 6-1, 6-1
6. Kristen Bleakley, NCSU, def. Megan McGavock, USC, 6-2, 5-7, (10-4)

Order of Finish: 3, 4, 1, 2, 5, 6

Doubles
1. #17 Schofield/Zubori, USC, def. Brock/Petrovic, NCSU, 8-2
2. Miljana Jocic/Vuckovic, USC, def. Hojckova/Roach, NCSU, 8-4
3. Bleakley/Catherine Grotz, NCSU, def. Mansour/McGavock, USC, 9-8(6)

Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3