COLUMBIA, S.C. — in its final regular-season dual match, No. 13 South Carolina dropped a closely contested 4-3 decision to No. 1 Florida. The Gamecocks fell behind 0-3 early but rallied to win the next three matches on court before the Gators closed out the victory
At No. 1 singles, Daniel Rodrigues, who is the top-ranked player in NCAA men’s singles, faced Florida’s No. 3 Duarte Vale. The two played a close first set, with Rodrigues delivering the 7-5 win with late service break. With the first set under his belt, Rodrigues brought that momentum into his second set, winning 6-2 with an ace to bring in the first point for the Gamecocks and his fourth top-10 victory of the spring.
The decision came down to the No. 4 match with Lambling and Bicknell, who was still holding onto his break and serving for the match at 5-4. The Gators’ sophomore zeroed in and delivered the victory to keep Florida undefeated in SEC play.
The Gamecocks will head to Fayetteville, Ark., to play in the SEC Championships from Mon., April 19, to Sat., April 24.
With a pair of make-up matches scheduled for next week, the final SEC standings and tournament seeding will be announced next weekend.