LEXINGTON, Ky.?The No. 59 University of Kentucky men?s tennis team will play host to its final home match of the season Friday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center when they welcome SEC-foe South Carolina.
No. 59 Kentucky (12-11, 2-6) and No. 53 South Carolina (11-9, 2-6) will look to gain a step on their opponent as both teams are tied with Vanderbilt for fourth place in the SEC Eastern Division. The teams enter with similar r?sum?s coming into the pivotal match.
Both teams have fared better in non-conference action this season as UK is 10-5 and South Carolina holds a 9-3 record, while the teams are most successful when winning the doubles point. The Gamecocks are 7-1 on the season when taking the opening point, while the Blue and White hold a 4-3 record when taking the point. The Eastern rivals have each knocked off Arkansas in their SEC slate. Kentucky?s other win came at the hands of an upset victory at home over Alabama. South Carolina?s second win came against Mississippi State.
Kentucky sports the No. 90 rated player in the country in reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Bruno Agostinelli. South Carolina does not hold any singles rankings, which is the first time this season in SEC action UK will not face one of the country?s top 120 players.
Agostinelli and junior Marcus Sundh pace the Wildcats in singles action. Agostinelli holds a team-best 18-14 record, while Sundh?s 15-6 dual match clip is tops among the team. Senior Peter Bjork has been a tremendous addition to the Wildcat rotation holding a 15-12 overall record playing within the top three spots of the lineup.
Yevgeny Supeko and Pedro Campos lead the Gamecocks with 21 overall singles wins. Supeko leads the team with a 13-3 clip in dual match action. Campos and Ivan Cressoni have both notched double-figure wins for the season in dual match competition. Campos and Supeko pair to form a potent doubles team that sports a 14-6 overall record on the doubles court. They are 9-5 in dual action and 8-3 playing in the No. 1 spot.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 19-9. The No. 46 Gamecocks upset the 21st-ranked Wildcats, 4-1, in the 2006 meeting between the two squads in Columbia. Carolina dropped the doubles point, but rallied to take four consecutive singles matches and the victory. Prior to last season’s match, UK had won four straight against the Gamecocks.
The Blue and White will then conclude their season with three matches on the road beginning Sunday when they travel for an Easter Sunday match-up with No. 18 Florida in Gainesville. UK concludes the season with road trips to No. 6 Notre Dame on Wednesday and No. 41 Vanderbilt on Saturday, April 14.
First serve with South Carolina is slated for 2 p.m. Live results and complete coverage of the day?s events can be found at www.ukathletic.com.
