Men's Tennis Fact Sheet #12

This weekThe No. 45 Razorbacks are on the road this weekend, first heading to Columbia, S.C. on Friday for a 1 p.m. match with the No. 17 Gamecocks. On Sunday, the Hogs are in Gainesville, Fla. to face the No. 10 Gators.

Last time outIt was a rough weekend in SEC play for the Hogs who traveled to No. 5 Tennessee on Friday and absorbed a, 6-1, defeat. The Razorbacks returned home on Sunday to play No. 3 Georgia and dropped their second straight SEC loss, falling, 7-0.

How Cox sees it (Tennessee)“Our guys played very well today. They fought for every point and I’m so proud of their effort against a top five team.”

How Cox sees it (Georgia)“It’s been awhile since we’ve been competitive in doubles. While it was good to get back and be close today, doubles was a heartbreaker for us. We played some really good tennis in doubles and then let Georgia take the point.”

Scouting South CarolinaSouth Carolina enters the week ranked 17th in the country with a 15-4 overall and a 3-3 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks have built much of their success on the doubles court where they have won the first point of the match in all 15 of their team victories. South Carolina’s top team of Diego Cubas and Ivan Machado are No. 28 in the country. In singles, it’s the bottom of the lineup doing the bulk of the damage as the Gamecocks have gotten at least two wins from the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 players in each of the team’s victories this season.

Scouting FloridaThe No. 10 Gators boast a 12-6 overall record and are 3-3 in the SEC heading into their match with LSU on Friday before hosting the Razorbacks on Sunday. Currently, Florida has two singles players ranked in the top 30. Carlos Cueto holds the No. 27 spot while teammate Alex Lacroix is No. 28. In doubles, Joey Burkhardt and partner Antoine Benneteau are currently the No. 17-ranked doubles team in the country, going 10-7 this spring.

Strode earns highest career rankingStrode rose from No. 17 to No. 13 in the latest rankings put out by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. 13th is Strode’s highest ranking in four years with the Razorbacks. Strode has been ranked as high as No. 15, his ranking at the beginning of the 2009 dual season.

The doubles factorFriday at South Carolina, doubles is likely to be the determining factor for both teams. The Razorbacks are 9-0 when they take the point, 0-9 when they lose it. In similar fashion, the Gamecock’s 15 victories this season have come after securing the doubles point.

Download: 3.31 Notes 12.pdf