COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Megan McGavock held off Jessica Giuggioli on No. 4 singles to seal a hard-fought 4-3 victory for No. 22 South Carolina over No. 26 Kentucky on Friday afternoon at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center.

With the match knotted at 3-3, everything came down to court five, where McGavock rallied for a 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-4 win to clinch the win. The loss was the Wildcats third straight as they dropped to 15-4 overall and 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks improved to 16-3 overall and remained in a first place tie in the league at 8-1.

Kentucky started well, winning a tightly-contested doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 2. The nation?s 57th-ranked duo of Carolina Escamilla and Sarah Woestmann took down Cristyn Lucas and Natasa Vuckovic on court two, 8-6.

Joelle Schwenk and Kim Coventry ? ranked 11th nationally ? finished off the point on court one with a matching 8-6 win over No. 32 Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori.

Once in singles, the match remained a virtual dead heat as three of the six matches went to a third set. Escamilla scored UK?s second point with a straight-set win over Lucas, 6-4, 6-4, on No. 4. Meanwhile, USC earned straight set wins at No. 2 as Zubori beat Coventry, 6-3, 6-3, and at No. 6 as Laura Ganzer knocked off Whitney Spencer, 6-1, 6-3, to make it 2-2.

Woestmann rallied for a thrilling 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Vuckovic to pull UK within one point of victory, but the final two matches went the Gamecocks way. Schofield, ranked 55th, came back to beat No. 110 Schwenk, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 to set up McGavock?s big victory.

Kentucky returns to action on Sunday when it hosts fourth-ranked Florida at the Hillary Boone Tennis Center at Noon.