NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The celebration will be short-lived for Vanderbilt women’s tennis after Friday’s knockout of top-ranked defending champion Georgia, as No. 11 South Carolina makes its way to town Sunday for the Commodores’ fourth straight ranked matchup at the Lummis Family Tennis Center.
The black and gold took control of the contest against the Bulldogs from the start, never trailing en route to a 4-2 takedown of the nation’s No. 1 team. It was the Dores’ first win over a No. 1 program since 2018, which is the same season they had last claimed a victory against Georgia. Vanderbilt (12-4, 2-2 SEC) owns two wins over top-15 teams this season; the Commodores sank No. 7 Michigan on Jan. 25 during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
South Carolina (9-3, 2-2) makes its way to Nashville with a 2-2 record in its last four outings. The Gamecocks are coming off consecutive wins against Ole Miss and Missouri, days removed from home losses to No. 9 LSU and No. 1 Georgia. South Carolina lost last season’s matchup with the Dores, 5-2, on April 6. Vanderbilt holds a 25-19 advantage in the all-time series.
Kaitlyn Carnicella leads the way for South Carolina in the ITA singles rankings at No. 47 in this week’s updated list. Helena Buchwald is the other Gamecock ranked in singles at No. 77. Like Vanderbilt, three separate doubles pairings represent South Carolina in the rankings. No. 21 Buchwald along with Lauren Friedman top the list for the Gamecocks, followed by No. 44 Carnicella and Bella Bergqvist Larsson and Friedman again at No. 82 with partner Sara Borkop.
