Gamecocks escape with 4-2 win over LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- South Carolina men's tennis (16-8) held off a late surge to escape with a 4-2 win over LSU (16-11) in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. Carolina won the doubles points followed by singles wins from sixth-ranked Paul Jubb, Yancy Dennis and Raphael Lambling to reach Friday's quarterfinal round.

As was the case in the Gamecocks' 5-2 home win over LSU earlier this season, Thursday's doubles point was tight from start to finish, requiring a tiebreak in the third match to decide the point.

Beau Pelletier and Jake Beasley were the first off the courts with a 6-3 win over Boris Kozlov and Nick Watson while LSU took the No. 1 match to even the point. Jubb and Dennis fought to extend the match and rode the momentum from a close call early in the breaker to a 6-1 lead, eventually clinching the doubles point for Carolina with a 7-3 tiebreak win.

Sixth-ranked Paul Jubb won his 10th-straight match, making quick work of LSU's Shane Monroe with a 6-0, 6-2 win. The Tigers bounced back after dropping four opening sets to even the match at 2-2 with wins on courts four and two, respectively.

Dennis put a stop to the Tigers' run by gutting out a 9-7 second-set tiebreak win to take his match on court six, 6-2, 7-6. Raphael Lambling clinched the Carolina win just minutes later as he closed out his third set to defeat No. 109 Boris Kozlov, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

The Carolina win sets up a rematch with 11th-ranked Texas A&M in Friday's quarterfinal round, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET.