The South Carolina men’s tennis team lost to No. 6 Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference Championship quarterfinals on April 17, ending their run with a 4-0 defeat at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
This match was significant as it determined which teams would advance further in the SEC tournament, with South Carolina entering ranked No. 13 and holding a season record of 16-8 overall and 8-7 within the conference.
Doubles play began with South Carolina trailing early on all three courts. Sean Daryabeigi and Max Stenzer managed to recover from a deficit to tie their match at five games each before play was halted with them behind by one game. Mississippi State secured the doubles point after victories over Gabe Avram and Charlie Swaine (6-3) as well as Lucas da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu (6-3).
In singles matches, Paul Barbier Gazeu earned South Carolina’s only first set win after coming back late for a 7-5 victory. However, Mississippi State won two more points through victories against Atakan Karahan and Daryabeigi before Raphael Vaksmann clinched the match by defeating Stenzer in straight sets (6-4, 6-3).
With this result, South Carolina awaits its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be announced at a later date.
The outcome reflects both teams’ strong performances during conference play and highlights the competitive nature of collegiate tennis tournaments.
