Gamecocks Open SEC Tournament with Win Over Mississippi State

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 23 South Carolina women’s tennis team defeated Mississippi State 4-2 in the first round of the 2025 SEC Championship on Wednesday evening. The Gamecocks claimed the doubles point and were able to fend off a late comeback attempt in singles from the Bulldogs to secure the win and advance in the tournament.

Mississippi State jumped to a quick edge as doubles action opened, picking up a win from the No. 2 position with Alessia Tagilente and Emma Cohen defeating Bella Bergkvist Larsson and Olympe Lancelot 6-4.

In response, No. 16 Sarah Hamner and Kaitlyn Carnicella shook off a slow start, turning a 1-3 deficit into a 6-4 win which evened out the match from the top of the lineup.

The deciding match for the doubles point was between Lauren Friedman and Misa Malkin battling at the No. 3 position. In a back-and-forth battle, the duo kept things tight, trading games evenly with their opponents until the score hit 6-all and forced a tiebreak. Friedman and Malkin took control from there, jumping to a 4-0 start before securing the first point of the match with a 7-6(2) score.

No. 55 Carnicella (6-1, 6-1) and Larsson (6-1, 6-0) nearly swept their opponents in straight sets to open singles play, extending the Gamecocks’ lead to 2-0. The Bulldogs put up a fight, retaliating with wins on courts 1 and 6 which put them within one point of striking distance.

The clinch came from Lancelot who pulled through with a 6-3, 7-5 victory to secure the 4-2 win for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina faces eight seed Texas on Thurs., April 17 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) in the next round of the tournament. It will be a quick rematch, as the two teams last faced each other in Sunday’s regular season finale, where Texas came out on top.

For the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).

(23) South Carolina 4, Mississippi State 2

Doubles (order of finish: 2,1,3)

1. #16 Sarah Hamner/Kaitlyn Carnicella (SC) def. Gianna Oboniya/Athina Pitta (MS) 6-4
2. Alessia Tagilente/Emma Cohen (MS) def. Bella Bergkvist Larsson/Olympe Lancelot (SC) 6-4
3. Lauren Friedman/Misa Malkin (SC) def. Jayna Clemens/Chiara Di Genova (MS) 7-6 (7-2)

Singles (order of finish: 2,5,1,6,4)

1. Gianna Oboniye (MS) def. #13 Sarah Hamner (SC) 7-5, 6-3
2. #55 Kaitlyn Carnicella (SC) def. Carolina Troiano (MS) 6-1, 6-1
3. Misa Malkin (SC) vs Jayna Clemens (MS) 4-6, 6-0, unfinished
4. Olympe Lancelot (SC) def. Alessia Tagliente (MS) 6-3, 7-5
5. Bella Bergkvist Larsson (SC) def. Chiara Di Genova (MS) 6-1, 6-0
6. Emma Cohen (MS) def. Lauren Friedman (SC) 6-4, 6-3

Records

South Carolina: 14-10 (overall), 8-7 (SEC)

Mississippi State: 10-16 (overall), 0-15 (SEC)