Spring Sports Thread

[Stephen Anderson]

Posting this thread to follow on along as the spring sports head to championship season. I'll update with any significant announcements or happenings.

GamecockScoop - USC Spring Sports Rundown

A Gamecock Spring sports rundown.

southcarolina.rivals.com

 

[Stephen Anderson]

Few quick updates. Beach Volleyball went 0-2 in the conference tournament will miss out on the 17-team NCAA Tournament.

Men's Tennis: Three South Carolina men’s tennis players were named to the All-SEC Teams, the league announced on Thursday. Juniors Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson both were named to the First Team while fellow junior James Story was named to the Second Team.

Also the men's team is the #9 national seed in the 64-team NCAA Tournament. No. 8 South Carolina men’s tennis earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the 28th time in program history and the ninth time under head coach Josh Goffi. South Carolina will be hosting the first and second round matches for the third consecutive year. The Gamecocks (19-6, 8-4 SEC) will play South Carolina State (10-9, 5-0 MEAC) in the first round on Fri., May 5, at 2 p.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center. The other first-round match in Columbia will feature Baylor and Florida State playing at 11 a.m. Here is the bracket for those interested.

2023 Division I Men's Tennis Official Bracket | NCAA.com

The official 2023 College Men's Tennis Bracket for Division I. Includes a printable bracket and links to buy NCAA championship tickets.

www.ncaa.com

Women's Tennis: South Carolina women’s tennis senior Ayana Akli and sophomore Sarah Hamner both received First Team All-SEC honors, the league announced on Thursday. Both Gamecocks earned the distinction for the second time in as many seasons.

The women's team also qualified for the postseason. The 34th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team earned a bid to its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament, the NCAA announced during its Monday selection show. The Gamecocks will face Old Dominion in the first round of the tournament at host site and top-seeded North Carolina. Link to the women's field below.

2023 Division I Women's Tennis Official Bracket | NCAA.com

The official 2023 College Women's Tennis Bracket for Division I. Includes a printable bracket and links to buy NCAA championship tickets.

www.ncaa.com

 

[JohnnySolo]

Just purchased my football tix. For me that is a spring sport.

 

[Stephen Anderson]

Cliff Notes: Women’s tennis season ends in first round of the NCAA tournament to Old Dominion. The second round was the ceiling here as USC would have been paired with #1 seed UNC

From USC:
Women’s Tennis Drops Tough NCAA First-Round Match

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 31 South Carolina women’s tennis dropped a tough 4-2 decision to No. 33 Old Dominion in NCAA Championships first-round action today at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. The Gamecocks dropped the doubles point but mounted a solid rally from behind before the Monarchs closed out the victory.

Old Dominion dominated double, jumping out to early breaks on all three courts and cruising to wins in the Nos. 1 and 3 matches.

In singles, Elise Mills exploded with a quick 6-3 first-set win on Court 5 and the Gamecocks looked to build momentum from that showing. The shift started when Misa Malkin got a late break on Court 4 to edge out her first set 6-4, but the Monarchs stemmed the tide with a late break on Court 1 to claim first sets on the other four courts.

Mills kept her foot on the gas, closing out Alexandra Viktorovich 6-3, 6-3 to level the match at 1-1. Old Dominion was unbothered, reclaiming the lead with wins on Courts 3 and 6 to draw within a point of the victory.

Malkin held off Yakubovich on Court 4 to claim a 6-4, 6-3 victory and make it a 3-2 match, leaving it to the top of the lineup to settle things with No. 12 Ayana Akli and No. 25 Sarah Hamner battling it out in those positions.

Hamner was rallying back from dropping her first set and had Sofia Johnson on the ropes at 4-6, 6-2, 4-0, but No. 33 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya closed things out in the top spot with her 7-5, 6-4 win over Akli to send the Monarchs into the second round.

The loss closes the Gamecocks’ team season with a 13-11 overall record. Akli and Hamner will await their draws in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships to be played in Orlando, Fla., later this month.

For all the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).



#33 Old Dominion 4, #31 South Carolina 2
Doubles (order of finish 3, 1)
1. (42) Sofia Johnson/Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. (33) Ayana Akli/Sarah Hamner (SC) 6-4
2. Allison Isaacs/Alexandra Viktorovich (ODU) led Gracie Mulville/ Elise Mills (SC) 5-2 suspended
3. Alesya Yakubovich/Shahar Biran (ODU) def. Ana Cruz/Allie Gretkowski (SC) 6-1

Singles (order of finish 5, 3, 6, 4, 1)
1. (33) Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) def. (12) Ayana Akli (SC) 7-5, 6-4
2. (25) Sarah Hamner (SC) led Sofia Johnson (ODU) 4-6, 6-2, 4-0 suspended
3. Shahar Biran (ODU) def. Gracie Mulville (SC) 6-4, 6-2
4. Misa Malkin (SC) def. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Elise Mills (SC) def. Alexandra Viktorovich (ODU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Allison Isaacs (ODU) def. Allie Gretkowski (SC) 6-3, 6-1

 

[Stephen Anderson]

Better news here: Men’s Tennis easily beats SC St in the first round. Good FSU team awaits but the Cocks are hosting so they would be favored.

Gamecocks Storm into NCAA Second Round

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 8 South Carolina men’s tennis powered out a 4-0 win over South Carolina State in NCAA Championships first-round action Friday afternoon at Carolina Tennis Center. The Gamecocks improved to 20-6 on the season and will face No. 18 Florida State in the second round on Sat., May 6, at 2 p.m. at Carolina Tennis Center.

South Carolina took the early lead with a pair of efficient doubles victories, beginning at the top of the lineup with top-ranked Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson posted a 6-2 win, followed closely by Casey Hoole and Raphael Lambling sealing the point with a 6-3 victory out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup.

In singles, it was the second half of the lineup that went to work early with Lambling, Hoole and Lucas da Silva staking out early leads in the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 positions, respectively. The freshman da Silva was the first to add a point to the board in his NCAA Championships debut, yielding just two games across his straight-set win over Pedro Sasso.

No. 102 Hoole made it a 3-0 Gamecock lead minutes later with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Benjamin Niv on Court 5, sealing the win with a big forehand return. No. 122 Lambling closed out the victory when his service winner gave him a 6-4, 6-2 win over Rostislav Haflinger on Court 4.

The Gamecocks are back in action on Saturday, facing No. 18 Florida State, which advanced with a 4-0 win over No. 43 Baylor Friday morning. South Carolina is 8-5 all-time against the Seminoles, but the programs have not faced each other since 2006. The two have met once before in NCAA Tournament action with Florida State taking a 4-2 win in the 1996 regional semifinal played at Clemson (5/10/96).

For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).



#8 South Carolina 4, South Carolina State 0
Doubles (order of finish 1, 3)
1. (1) Samuel/Thomson (SC) def. Benchakroun/Niv (SCST) 6-2
2. Haflinger/Sasso (SCST) led (48) Beasley/Story (SC) 5-4 suspended
3. Hoole/Lambling (SC) def. Bankou/Novakovic (SCST) 6-3

Singles (order of finish 6, 5, 4)
1. (10) Toby Samuel (SC) led Aissa Benchakroun (SCST) 7-5, 3-2 suspended
2. (16) Connor Thomson (SC) vs. Novak Novakovic (SCST) 2-6, 6-1, 1-1 suspended
3. Mikalai Bankou (SCST) led (116) James Story (SC) 7-5, 1-4 suspended
4. (122) Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Rostislav Haflinger (SCST) 6-4, 6-2
5. (102) Casey Hoole (SC) def. Benjamin Niv (SCST) 6-2, 6-3
6. Lucas da Silva (SC) def. Pedro Sasso (SCST) 6-2, 6-0

 

[Stephen Anderson]

Men’s Tennis to the Sweet 16.



If I were to rank the most likely USC sports to capture a Natty this spring:

1. Women’s Golf
2. Men’s Tennis
3. Baseball