COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 22nd-ranked South Carolina women's tennis team will be in Raleight for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks will face No. 35 Iowa State in the opening round which will mark the 26th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the program. That is currently tied for the eighth longest active streak in the nation with Vanderbilt. Overall, the Gamecocks are making their 30th showing in the NCAA Tournament, making them one of only 13 teams in the country with at least 30 in what will be the 39th NCAA Tournament in 2021.
Carolina brings a 12-11 record into postseason play and finished with a 7-6 record in the SEC during the regular season. Mostly recently, head coach Kevin Epley led his team to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after South Carolina defeated Vanderbilt in the second round and Florida in the quarterfinals. The Gamecocks suffered a 4-2 setback to Texas A&M in the semis to end their run in the SEC Tournament.
It's been quite the turnaround of late for the Gamecocks who were struggling with a 4-9 record overall and just 1-5 in the SEC.
But with their NCAA Tournament chances slipping away, the team rallied to win six consecutive matches. They wil enter the NCAA Tournament having won eight of their last 10 matches and also, South Carolina has defeated a higher ranked time on seven occassions this season.