The South Carolina women’s tennis team earned its 31st consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament, according to an announcement on Apr. 27 during the selection show. The Gamecocks, ranked No. 31, will face Maryland in the first round at the University of North Carolina.
This achievement highlights the program’s consistent performance and continued presence at a national level event. South Carolina joins three other teams—No. 6 North Carolina, Maryland, and Charleston Southern—for first and second round matches scheduled for May 1 and May 2 in Chapel Hill.
South Carolina is set to play Maryland on Friday at 1 p.m., followed by North Carolina against Charleston Southern at 4 p.m. Winners from these matches will compete on Saturday for advancement.
The Gamecocks enter the tournament with a season record of 12-12 overall and a conference record of 5-10. The team secured victories over four ranked opponents this season, including a notable win against then-No.15 Tennessee when South Carolina was ranked No.33. Their most recent competition resulted in a narrow loss to Arkansas in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Head coach Kevin Epley has guided South Carolina to all fourteen of its NCAA appearances during his tenure, marking this as the program’s thirty-fourth overall appearance in tournament history. The roster currently features two nationally ranked singles players—Kaitlyn Carnicella (No.37) and Helena Buchwald (No.42)—as well as one top-ranked doubles pair: Buchwald and Lauren Friedman are currently No.13 after reaching as high as No.9 this season.
Carnicella recently earned her second consecutive All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honor.
