Road Swing Starts Friday at South Carolina for Sooners

NORMAN – The No. 12 Oklahoma women's tennis team is set to hit the road for a pair of top 25 matches this weekend, beginning with No. 21 South Carolina on Friday before travelling to No. 1 Georgia on Sunday.

MATCHDAY BASICS

First serve against the Gamecocks is set for 4 p.m. CT on Friday at the Carolina Tennis Center. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats and live video.

Sunday's match against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The contest can be followed through live stats and live video.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma women's tennis pushed No. 8 Tennessee to the limit but fell 4-3 at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

Competing before its largest crowd on the newly renovated outdoor courts, the Sooners dropped the doubles point to start the match.

Ava Catanzarite notched her second straight-set victory of the weekend over Thornton (6-2, 6-1) on court five to get the Sooners on the board in singles.

On court six, No. 98 Gloriana Nahum extended her winning streak to five matches with a 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory over Raidt. The SEC Co-Freshman of the Week outscored her opponents 30-18 over the weekend.

No. 34 Alina Shcherbinina kept the match alive with a clutch third-set tiebreak victory, defeating No. 8 Tomase 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) on the top court. It's the highest ranked win of the season for the senior out of Moscow, Russia.

At No. 2 singles, No. 17 Garcia Ruiz fell to No. 36 Aulia 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-5. On court three, Ounmuang was defeated by No. 103 Britez Risso 6-3, 7-6 (4), while No. 74 Emma Staker suffered a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 loss to Francesca Mattioli on court four.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 12 in the ITA team rankings. The squad reached a season-high ranking of No. 3 on Feb. 12, their best ranking since being tabbed No. 2 during the 2022 campaign which remains the highest ranking in program history. OU's impressive resume includes three ranked wins over top-15 opponents.

Additionally, the Sooners have four players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the pack is No. 19 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 26 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 70 Emma Staker and No. 103 Salakthip Ounmuang.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 37 Ounmuang and Roisin Gilheany, followed by No. 50 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, No. 63 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, and No. 90 Mester and Emma Ghirardato.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Gloriana Nahum extended her winning streak to five matches with a 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory over Tennessee's Conley Raidt on court six on Sunday. The defending SEC Co-Freshman of the Week outscored her opponents 30-18 last weekend.

Ranked No. 98 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Nahum has played a key role in the Sooners' success this season. The freshman from Cotonou, Benin, holds a team-leading 10-1 dual record, with all but two of her singles wins coming in straight sets.

In doubles, Nahum went 1-0 over the weekend, teaming with senior Ava Catanzarite at the No. 3 spot to defeat Kentucky's Zoe Hammond and Ellie Myers, 6-3. The duo remains undefeated at 3-0 in dual play. Nahum leads the Sooners with a 10-2 record this spring.

On THE ROAD AGAIN

The battle-tested Sooners head back on the road for a pair of matchups against some of the SEC's best.

Seven of OU's nine matchups against conference opponents ranked within the top 25 of the ITA team rankings are on the road, making the Sooners' slate one of the toughest in the country in their inaugural SEC season.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

No. 21 South Carolina (9-6, 4-3 SEC) enters Friday's match aiming its fourth ranked win of the season. The Gamecocks currently have three players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the way is No. 23 Sarah Hamner, with No. 93 Kaitlyn Carnicella and No. 113 Misa Malkin following behind.

In doubles, SC is represented by No. 26 Hamner and Carnicella, as well as No. 77 Olympe Lancelot and Anna Bella Bianca Bergqvist Larsson.

Friday's match will be the fourth between the Sooners and Gamecocks with the two sides first squaring off in 1986. South Carolina leads the all-time series 2-1.

No. 1 Georgia (14-1, 7-0 SEC) enters Sunday's match on an 11-match winning streak, highlighted by a 4-0 weekend at the ITA National Indoors, where they claimed the team title. The Bulldogs have a strong presence in the polls. Their highest-ranked player is No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova, with supporting players No. 52 Aysegul Mert, No. 55 Anastasiia Lopata and No. 100 Guillermina Grant.

No. 10 Mell Reasco and Vidmanova, No. 21 Mert and Grant, and No. 74 Lopata and Grant highlight the team's presence in the doubles rankings.

Sunday's match will be the fifth meeting between the Sooners and Bulldogs with inaugural showdown coming in 1983. Georgia leads the all-time series 5-0.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will continue conference action on the road against No. 8 Auburn on Friday, March 28. First serve against the Tigers is set for 11 a.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

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