Welcome back SEC fans! We’ve successfully completed another week of in-conference play so of course it’s time for our weekly SEC roundup. If this past week could only be described in one word, it’d be chaos. After what might have been one of the most eventful weeks we’ve seen on both the Men’s and Women’s side all season, we’ve got a LOT to cover in this one so let’s get to it. One quick reminder: Be sure to tune in to our SEC Cross Court Cast on SECN/ESPN+ for all your conference viewing if you haven’t already!
Storylines of the Week
An Aggie Down
Although the Texas A&M women came out of the weekend relatively unscathed after winning a 5-2 match against a tricky opponent in Miami, there was still some unfortunate news for Aggie fans everywhere. On Tuesday, Carson Branstine announced that she has been forced to end her 2023 season early in order to undergo hip surgery in an attempt to recover from an ongoing condition that’s plagued her since birth. Our team at Cracked Racquets wishes Carson a speedy recovery, so she can return to doing what she loves most.
Branstine, who was 7-3 for the Aggies at the #1 and #2 singles positions, has been out of the lineup since retiring against South Carolina on March 5th. While it’s always a harsh blow to lose someone so integral to the singles lineup as well as a part of the 3rd ranked doubles pairing in the country, A&M will still look to take advantage of their depth to contend for a national title this year. While things are now a little murkier for the Aggies, it wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see this team make a deep run with all the talent they have on their roster.
Upsets Galore
There were a couple of emphatic victories for the underdogs in both Women’s and Men’s play. The Kentucky Wildcats, after being winless in SEC play last year, notched a brilliant 4-2 victory over Florida on the road. After taking the doubles point, getting a straight-sets win at the #6 singles spot, and three-set wins at #1 and #3 singles, Kentucky will certainly be pleased to still be in the race for the end of the year tournament at this point in the season. For Florida, this loss at home will certainly be disappointing despite the fact that they were missing a key contributor in Sara Dahlstrom.
On the Men’s side, it was a massive 5-2 (clinched at 4-1) upset for Mississippi State over South Carolina. Heading into this match at #2 in the rankings, the Gamecocks had lost only once this season and had four Top 10 wins as a part of their 15-1 overall record. Well, the Bulldogs came out and started strong as they came out and won the doubles point prior to the singles action. With a 1-0 lead, Mississippi State didn’t slow down as they blitzed South Carolina with straight-set wins on Courts 3, 4, and 6 to clinch the match. With this win, Mississippi State has now gotten wins against Florida and South Carolina and currently sits just outside the Top 10 of the ITA rankings at #12. Despite the loss, South Carolina does indeed still feel like a tier-one contender, even if there is a pathway for teams to beat them if they can exploit the back end of the lineup.
A Thriller in Athens
In what was an electric contest between two SEC rivals, Georgia escaped with a 4-3 win against Tennessee in Athens. Backed by the home crowd, the Bulldogs pulled off a 3-1 comeback after saving multiple team-match points on different courts. After Tennessee won the doubles point, Johannus Monday made quick work of Ethan Quinn in a 6-2, 6-2 victory on the #1 singles court. After the two teams split wins on courts 4 & 6, Tennessee had a 3-1 lead and looked poised to close this one out. Teodor Giusca then won on court 5 to keep things alive for Georgia, but it was still Tennessee with the lead. Miraculously, Trent Bryde found a way to force a decider after a dramatic second-set tiebreak. From there, he never looked back as he ended up taking out Blaise Bicknell in a tight 3-set match. In parallel, it was Phillip Henning who clinched the win for Georgia in a comeback victory of his own over Emile Hudd. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of being at this match and was able to witness the events and atmosphere firsthand and can say that without a doubt, there is no better feeling than a packed stadium supporting a home crowd.
SEC Teams in the Rankings
SEC Men’s Teams
Although South Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia all find themselves back in the top 10 of the D1 Men’s ITA Rankings, there’s been some significant movement, despite Kentucky holding steady at #6. However, it was a short-lived stint for the Gamecocks after they made it to the #2 spot last week as they now find themselves at #4. Conversely, after their thrilling victory against Tennessee, Georgia is back at #7 after falling to #10 in last week’s edition of the rankings.
SEC Women’s Teams
For the first time in quite a while, we now only have two SEC teams in the Top 10 of the Women’s Team Rankings. In fact, the only SEC team to hold steady in this week’s rankings was Texas A&M, who once again find themselves at the #2 spot. After back-to-back losses against Tennessee and Georgia last weekend, the Auburn Tigers now sit outside the Top 10 after appearing at the #8 spot last week. On the other side of things, the Georgia Bulldogs have now moved up to #4 in the rankings coming off the back of their home win against Auburn.
Upcoming Marquee Matchup
#12 Tennessee at #4 Georgia
Where: Athens, GA
When: Fri. March 24th, 2023
What time: 5:00 PM ET
Players to watch for in this matchup: #8 Lea Ma (UGA), #10 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA), #34 Rebeka Mertena (TN) #39 Daria Kuczer (TN) #49 Elza Tomase (TN), #57 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA), #60 Mell Reasco (UGA)
How to watch: Cracked Racquets SEC Cross Court Coverage on SECN/ESPN+
