April 2, 2009
Up Next
The No. 30 South Carolina women’s tennis team (10-7, 3-3 SEC) puts its three-match winning streak on the line Friday when it takes on No. 15 Arkansas (9-5, 4-2 SEC) at 4 p.m. ET in Fayetteville, Ark. The Gamecocks then travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face No. 24 LSU (11-6, 1-4 SEC) at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Last Time Out
South Carolina won a critical match over Ole Miss in its last outing, defeating the Rebels 5-2 in Columbia, S.C., despite losing the doubles point. The Gamecocks rebounded with victories at two through six singles to earn the victory and get back to .500 in the league. Junior Ana Marija Zubori provided the clinching point at No. 2 singles against Karen Nijssen. After winning the first set 6-4, Zubori found herself in a 3-0 hole in the second and was later down 5-2. She recovered to force a tiebreaker and won 7-2 to improve to 15-1 this spring at the second singles slot. Other winners for the Gamecocks included Dijana Stojic at three, Natasa Vuckovic at four, Miljana Jocic at five and Suzanna Mansour at six.
Arkansas Series History
The Gamecocks hold a strong advantage over the Razorbacks at 17-4, but Arkansas has improved in recent years and has won two of the past three meetings between the two schools. The last time South Carolina traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., it registered a 7-0 victory. The Gamecocks have lost just twice in Arkansas, the first coming in 1997 and the other in 1999.
LSU Series History
South Carolina has also dominated the series with LSU at 17-2. The Gamecocks have lost just once to the Tigers since joining the SEC in 1992. That one loss came in 2005 in Baton Rouge, La., by a 4-3 margin. The Gamecocks escaped with a 4-3 victory in 2007 when they traveled to Louisiana. Last season, South Carolina won handily by a 5-2 score, and the Gamecocks have won three straight against LSU.
SEC Race Heating Up
With half the schedule played, the SEC race is in full force. Georgia controls its own destiny with the best record at 5-1. Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas are all close behind at 4-2. Vanderbilt and Auburn both have 3-2 records, victims of matches that were cancelled because of rain. South Carolina and Alabama have 3-3 records, and Kentucky and Ole Miss are 2-4. LSU (1-4) and Mississippi State (0-5) round out the list. Below is a list of SEC match-ups taking place this week.
Friday, April 3
South Carolina (3-3) @ Arkansas (4-2)
Florida (4-2) @ LSU (1-4)
Mississippi State (0-5) @ Vanderbilt (3-2)
Ole Miss (2-4) @ Kentucky (2-4)
Tennessee (4-2) @ Alabama (3-3)
Georgia (5-1) @ Auburn (3-2)
Sunday, April 5
South Carolina (3-3) @ LSU (1-4)
Florida (4-2) @ Arkansas (4-2)
Mississippi State (0-5) @ Kentucky (2-4)
Ole Miss (2-4) @ Vanderbilt (3-2)
Tennessee (4-2) @ Auburn (3-2)
Georgia (5-1) @ Alabama (3-3)
