COLUMBIA, S.C. — The ninth-ranked South Carolina men's tennis earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the 27th time in program history and the eighth time under head coach Josh Goffi. The team learned its NCAA Tournament plans Monday night at an NCAA Selection Show watch party at the Hickory Tavern on Senate Street.
South Carolina will be hosting the first and second round matches for the second consecutive year. The Gamecocks (21-6, 10-2 SEC) will play South Carolina State (11-10, 4-0 MEAC) in the first round on Fri., May 6, at 1 p.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center. The other first-round match in Columbia will feature Pepperdine and Washington playing at 10 a.m.
The 10th-seeded Gamecocks will enter their fifth straight NCAA Tournament this weekend after falling in the Round of 16 during last years competition. South Carolina has two nationally ranked players in singles, including No. 2 Daniel Rodrigues and No. 81 Toby Samuel who both earned First-Team All-SEC honors last week. The Gamecock squad holds four wins over top-10 teams on the season, including an upset of then-No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville.
South Carolina State earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and have an 11-10 overall record on the season.