COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 104 Andrej Loncarevic completed a three-set comeback, winning 6-7(4), 6-0, 7-5, to clinch the match for the Tigers once more this season. No. 7 LSU defeated No. 13 South Carolina with a score of 4-1 today at the Carolina Tennis Center.
LSU improves its record to 22-5 with an 8-4 SEC mark, while South Carolina drops to 13-6, going 6-5 in the conference. With today’s win, LSU has recorded the most wins in a season since the 1998 SEC Championship team (25-2), eclipsing the previous high of 21.
“These guys continue to grow and show mental toughness,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “Lost a very close doubles point on the road to a top 15 team, but we came out firing in singles. It was an absolute battle out there, one of the hotter matches we’ve played in this year. Very proud of all the guys. Enzo [Kohlmann], Matias [Ponce de Leon], and Erik [Arutiunian] did a great job getting straight set wins, and then Andrej was there to close it out on [court] three.”
Olaf Pieczkowski and Kohlmann aimed to continue their domination on court three against Charlie Swaine and Gabe Avram. After the Gamecocks captured their opening game, Pieczkowski and Kohlmann reeled off three straight to put themselves up a break at 3-1. Through the middle stages, Swaine and Avram stayed within reach, trailing a game at 3-2. However, up 4-2, the Tigers stole another break to comfortably set themselves up to serve for the set, leading 5-2. In the final game, Pieczkowski and Kohlmann faced a couple of break points before fighting back and taking the match, 6-2. The pair improved their win streak to two, pushing their season mark to 8-3 with seven wins coming at the third spot.
On court No. 2, Arutiunian and Ponce de Leon matched up with Paul Barbier Gazeu and Atakan Karahan in a back-and-forth battle. Both teams settled into the match by holding their opening two service games, landing at 1-1. From there, the Tigers took consecutive games to forge ahead 3-1. However, the Gamecocks fired right back to get back on serve at 3-3. Each side displayed solid play through the later stages, neither able to gain the edge upon reaching 5-5. Here, it was Barbier Gazeu and Karahan who landed the decisive blow, stealing a break at 6-5 before wrapping up the match, 7-5.
The doubles point was decided on the top court, featuring the duel between No. 17 Sasa Markovic and Loncarevic against No. 90 Max Stenzer and Sean Daryabaigi. Very little separated the two teams for almost the whole match. Markovic and Loncarevic answered every hold from the Gamecocks with a strong service game of their own, staying within striking distance down the stretch before entering a tiebreak. The Tigers fell 3-1 before leveling it 3-3 at the switch. Finally, at 5-5, Stenzer and Daryabaigi upped their level to notch back-to-back points and take the match 7-6(5). South Carolina took the doubles point, LSU trailing 1-0.
Kohlmann made his way back into the fifth spot today in his match with Swaine. The first set opened level at 1-1 before Kohlmann created early separation with a break that eventually moved him to a 3-1 lead. Swaine showed some resistance, staying within reach at a 3-2 deficit and then again at 4-3. However, Kohlmann never let momentum slip, taking a 5-3 advantage before capturing the second break of the set to wrap the opener, 6-3. The second set was all Kohlmann from the start. He continued to impose his will from the jump, grabbing initial control with a break at 2-0. He left Swaine in the dust after that, dictating play and racing to a 5-0 lead. He capped off his commanding stretch with the final hold to seal the match with a dominant 6-0 second set. With his first conference win, Kohlmann added to his eight total on the season and first on court five. He leveled LSU and South Carolina at 1-1.
Landing at the No. 4 spot today was Ponce de Leon, facing his doubles foe, Karahan. The Spaniard had to weather an early push after falling behind 2-0 to begin the opening set. Fortunately, he was able to respond quickly by getting on the board with his first break at 2-1 before tying it up at 2-2. Both players found their groove midway through the set until Ponce de Leon captured a decisive break at 4-3. With momentum firmly on his side, he won three of the last four games to secure the first set, 6-4. The second set was tight from the outset, neither player able to gain an edge as they both traded holds throughout. Staying on serve deep into the set at 4-4, Ponce de Leon upped his game to find the key break, which put him ahead, 5-4. The senior remained strong under the pressure of serving out the match, securing the hard-fought 6-4 second set to complete his straight-set victory. Ponce de Leon adds to his three-match win streak, one more win to his 16-7 count with a 5-1 mark on court five, while going 6-4 in the SEC. LSU gained the lead over South Carolina, 2-1.
Court two featured a battle between ranked opponents No. 27 Arutiunian and No. 56 Daryabeigi. The opening stretch began tight, both players settling into the match as they approached a 2-2 scoreline. Midway through, however, Arutiunian landed the first blow, breaking to take a 4-3 lead. Once in front, he did not give Daryabeigi a chance to claw back, taking the remaining two games to post a 6-3 first-set win. In the second set, both players grinded it out for longer, each matching each other’s firepower to stay even throughout. With tension rising at 4-4, Arutiunian elevated his game at the right moment, breaking at 5-4 to set himself up to serve for the match at 6-4 and complete the straight-sets victory. The freshman continues to build his season record to 17-4, going 8-2 in the SEC while grabbing his eighth ranked win on the year, pushing his win streak to two matches. LSU took a 3-1 advantage against South Carolina, one match away from putting it away.
At the third spot, No. 104 Loncarevic, who made his way back into the rankings this week, took on Stenzer in a marathon match. The first set could not have been any closer, with a very minimal difference as each moved through their service games with ease. The set was forced into a tiebreak as the score edged to 6-6. Here, Stenzer seized control early, up 4-2 at the switch. Though Loncarevic fought back to keep it close, the Gamecock remained in control, ultimately taking the first set, 7-6(4). In the next set, Loncarevic recovered tremendously, making a statement that he was not going to go away easily. Upon breaking right away for a 1-0 lead, he continued to dominate on both sides of the court, capturing additional breaks while holding every service game. He ran away with a perfect 6-0 second set to even the match and force a decider. The third set mirrored the intensity of the opener, with neither player able to jump out in front. Down 5-4, Loncarevic faced three match points on his service game. Like he has done all season, the French native battled back to level it at 5-5. In the flow at the right time, he logged the first and only break of the final set, taking a 6-5 advantage before serving for the match at 7-5. He completed the three-set comeback, clinching yet another match for LSU, 4-1 over South Carolina. Loncarevic extended his mark on the season to 14-5, 8-4 on court three, tacking on seven conference wins, and boosted his win streak to four.
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LSU vs South Carolina
4/2/2026 at Columbia, S.C.
Carolina Outdoor Tennis Center
#7 LSU 4, #13 South Carolina 1
Singles competition
1. #105 Paul Barbier Gazeu (SC) vs. #42 Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 4-6, 7-5, 3-4, unfinished
2. #27 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. #56 Sean Daryabeigi (SC) 6-3, 6-4
3. #104 Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) def. Max Stenzer (SC) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 7-5
4. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) def. Atakan Karahan (SC) 6-4, 6-4
5. Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) def. Charlie Swaine (SC) 6-3, 6-0
6. Gabe Avram (SC) vs. Rudy Ceccon (LSU) 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 2-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #90 Sean Daryabeigi/Max Stenzer (SC) def. #17 Sasa Markovic/Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Atakan Karahan/Paul Barbier Gazeu (SC) def. Matias Ponce De Leon/Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 7-5
3. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. Gabe Avram/Charlie Swaine (SC) 6-2
Match Notes:
LSU 22-5 (8-4 SEC); National ranking #7
South Carolina 13-6 (6-5 SEC); National ranking #13
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,2,4,3)