State Prepares For Matchup Against No. 23 USC
2/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Live Stats
No. 29 NC State (5-2) heads to Columbia, S.C. on Sunday for a 12 p.m. match against the No. 23 South Carolina (5-1) at the Carolina Tennis Center. The Wolfpack heads into the match coming off 7-0 wins last weekend against Middle Tennessee State and Jackson State.
What's Up With Choboy:
"We always have a really good match with these guys. We're two evenly matched teams in the rankings, and we have managed to get all but one win over them the past few years ,so it's going to be a really good match. I think our strengths match up well with each other. Our guys are looking forward to the match with them. It's always a fun one."
Last Time Out:
The Wolfpack only dropped three sets during last weekend's matches as it rolled to 7-0 wins. Freshman Shoti Meparidze got his first dual season start at the No. 1 singles spot. The Tbilisi, Georgia native handled the top spot with ease as he cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jackson State's Carlos Martinez.
Scouting Report:
In the latest ITA Rankings, the Gamecocks have moved up six spots to No. 23 in the nation. South Carolina has a 3-0 record at home and 4-1 record overall with solid wins against Elon, Furman, Stanford and Clemson.
Senior Thiago Pinheiro sits in the highest singles spot at No. 71 in the national rankings, while sophomore Andrew Schafer and senior Kyle Koch hold the 83rd and 118th sports respectively. Schafer routed 75th-ranked David Hsu of Stanford in the squad's match on Jan. 24th in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory.
In doubles play, freshmen Thomas Mayronne and Harrison O'Keefe hold the 46th slot on the ITA National Doubles Rankings. Koch and Pinheiro were able to defeat the pair of Hunter Harrington and Alejandro Augusto of Clemson, whom prior to the match were ranked 60th in the country.