The No. 9-ranked University of Georgia men’s tennis team plays No. 13-ranked South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. CT) in Fayetteville, Ark. 

The winner of the contest will move to the semifinals to take on either No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 7 Ole Miss or No. 10 LSU. 

Georgia SEC Tournament Notebook

Bulldogs Dominate Series Against Gamecocks

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against South Carolina by a 39-9 margin. The Gamecocks won the only previous meeting between the two programs, 4-2, earlier this year in Columbia. The two teams last met in the SEC tournament back in 2003, when Georgia defeated South Carolina, 4-1, in the first round.

Georgia Stands Alone in Number of SEC Championships

Georgia is in pursuit of its 42nd SEC title, having won the regular season championship 31 times and the tournament crown on 10 occasions. The Bulldogs last won the tournament in 2017. 

The 42 combined league championships is three times more than the next closest SEC foe. Florida is second in conference history with 13 combined regular season and tournament titles. 

Bulldogs on Hot Streak

This year’s Georgia team enters postseason play riding a six-match win streak. The Bulldogs own a 14-5 overall record and have won seven consecutive league contests.

Speaking of Streak … Henning Nearly Unstoppable

A big reason for Georgia’s late-season surge can be credited to junior Philip Henning. The South Africa native has won six-straight matches in singles, with three of those coming in straight sets. Henning — who is ranked No. 18 nationally — is 3-1 against ranked opponents, including a 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Texas A&M’s Juan Carlos Aguilar. 

Bryde Playing Well at Right Time

Georgia’s No.1 singles player and highest-ranked individual Trent Bryde (No. 12 nationally) has won three-straight singles matches and six of his last seven doubles contests overall. Bryde defeated No. 5-ranked Valentin Vacherot from Texas A&M and No. 54-ranked Ronald Hohmann from LSU to end the regular season. 

All-American Duo At It Again

2020 ITA All-Americans Trent Bryde and Tyler Zink have put together another impressive season. The nation’s No. 8-ranked pair is 13-5 this season and owns a remarkable 4-1 record against nationally-ranked foes. The Bulldog tandem is 5-2 against SEC opponents at the No. 1 doubles court. 

Big Game Billy Rowe

Graduate transfer Billy Rowe has been a pivotal part of the team this season. Rowe is second on the squad with 16 singles wins, including clinchers against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Coronado, Calif., native also earned a spot on the SEC Community Service Team for the second time in his career.