University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#29 South Carolina
Men's Tennis Central: South Carolina
March 01, 2018 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The 25th-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team opens SEC play this weekend with a trip to South Carolina and Florida.
The Vols (10-2) will take on the Gamecocks (10-2) on Friday at 5:30 p.m., then travel to Gainesville to play the No. 18 Gators (5-4) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
A live stream link for both matches will be provided on the Vols' twitter page (@Vol_Tennis) at match time.Â
For more news and notes:
ROLLING INTO CONFERENCE PLAY: After sweeping a doubleheader last Saturday against USC Upstate, Tennessee brings a 10-2 record and three-match winning streak into the SEC schedule. It is the first time UT has won 10 matches before entering conference play since the 2013 spring season.
IN THE RANKINGS: The Vols go into the weekend holding the No. 25 spot in the latest ITA Collegiate Top 25. UT climbed to No. 23 last week, its first appearance in the poll since February of 2015.Â
Sunday's match against Florida will be Tennessee's third matchup versus a ranked team this season. The Vols lost to then-No. 8 Texas 4-1 on January 28, but defeated then-No. 20 Duke 4-1 at home on February 9.
Junior Timo Stodder enters the weekend as the No. 25 ranked player in the nation, according to the latest ITA release. The Vols' top singles player is currently 8-1 in dual matches in 2018.
South Carolina has three ranked players: Gabriel Friedrich (No. 66), Francisco Cerundolo (No. 69) and Yancy Dennis (No. 98). The Gators, meanwhile, have four players in the rankings, including a pair in the top 10: Johannes Ingildsen (No. 9), Alfredo Perez (No. 10), Duarte Vale (No. 59) and Andy Andrade (No. 94).
STREAKS COLLIDE: South Carolina brings a three-match winning streak of its own into Friday. The Gamecocks defeated Howard and Old Dominion before picking up a 4-3 road victory over Georgia Tech on February 18.
GATORS' SCHEDULE: Sunday's match will be Florida's eighth consecutive match against a top-25 opponent. The Gators have defeated then-No. 13 Michigan and then-No. 22 Notre Dame during the streak, and host No. 17 Georgia on Friday.
Players Mentioned
