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Tennis du By ANDREW PARKER Staff Writer ^ Helen Crook and Victoria Davies transferred to USC from Northeast Louisiana. However, that has not scratched the surface of where the two Lady Gamecocks have taken their tennis talents. The talented doubles team has surprised many SEC competitors this season with an overall record of 13-10, including three wins against higher-ranked opponents. On Marrh 73. Ornnk anH Davids heramp thp first Lady Gamecocks doubles tandem to move into the national rankings in almost three years at No. 35 in the country. Crook, a native of Essex, England, and |Davies, hailing from Bridgend, South Wales, did not play together until two and a half years ago. In two summers playing the collegiate circuit, the women have won seven doubles tournaments. Crook remembers one tournament in which the only thing denying the duo victory was a plane. "We reached the semi-finals of a tournament in Algeria, but had to default that match because we had made plane reservations thinking that we'd never make ii as far as we did in that tournament," Crook ' said. Crook and Davies have played in several Junior Wimbledons, as well as several warm-ups to "The Championships." At the Buckingham tournament prior to Wimbledon last summer, the duo lost to Nicole Provis and former doubles champion Liz Smiley. Both women agree that, having compatible personalities on and off the court as . Cheerleading j By NANCY SALOMONSKY tics < Sports Editor practi The cheerleading duo of Pat 75 da Wedge and Casey Ward placed W< first in the doubles competition in honoi the College Cheerleading National m? 0 Championships this past weekend at Sea World in San Diego, Calif. "C; In the overall team competition, amou USC placed fifth. mane "We know* that we could have studei | done better, but placing fifth in a really national competition is a great winni achievement," Coach Bill Boggs 11 lal? said. F?' The squad performed a two-and- ^e o a-half minute routine that consisted f^an of cheers, dancing, stunts, gymnas- in JJ? nAM'f ni I/VIM I VI PIZZA) P I Z Z E 341 S. Woodrow St. ai 252-6931 5pm EAT IN or TAKE ygJ^Extraordim CharboniK v*.*' .. iJ < :"V r,V: f..; ^ iKim tsj^l ?JR^^g ? - ? - :-: - .- . ?*:-: Qubhouse 252-1000 SS 1&2 Bdrm- Apt Fitness Trail Sr"" (CHARBONNEA1 Gtble included On Stoneridge Rd. off Greyston o brings inl well as possessing a sixth sense for each other's style of play are important reasons why their record together is an impressive 35-11. In singles, each has vast international experience as well. Crook reached the final eight of the British National Junior Singles Championships three of die last four years and has held down a world singles ranking as hish as No. 131 - - Davies, meanwhile, was ranked No. 1 in die under-18s in Wales while playing in ( tournaments throughout South America, j Sweden and Spain. With the growing expense of playing die | QJltpllitP four cimcifpnrc qtiH tho rlocirf* ?- ?. ?V w wi.1 uiiiuivuio U11U lilW UUilil V tv/ ? further their education, the girls began ( looking at small U.S. colleges. , Head coach Luis-Castro Malaga recruit- i ed Crook to play at Northeast Louisiana, and Davies followed her partner a year lat- ^ er. t In two years, Crook posted singles marks of 19-9 and 25-8 and won the t Southland Conference No. 2 singles title t her sophomore season. > When Davies joined her friend in j Monroe. La., last season, die pair began to ( establish a formidable doubles reputation. r Among their 23-5 overall record were wins t at the Arkansas-Little Rock and Memphis State invitationals. t Both young women were excited by the [ possibility of coming to Columbia and ? )air wins nation: tnd pyramids. USC has been program," B icing the routine for the past school prograr tys. on television, a idge and Ward captured top best squads to s in the partner division, edg- helps with recn ut four other finalists from a South Carol of over 50 entries. tryouts lor the asey and Pat put a tremendous and in die fad nt of effort into their perfor- out l?r die in? e representing USC and the die squa< nt body," Boggs said. "People football games. don't realize what goes into e are ng a national championship. ed people wh< es a lot of time and effort." oiiented and pi ao AntrtAinr. " D w*m I time mission. We tr be ready for the on I'-' We're also the | 'WBBtf 'Mm -^^5 try needs us. Ask z r MiiHl 'teg National Guard Me * fctffflf S&l in the Persian Gulf began 350 years aj ^^ESiS rrrTO A UsA Fireplaces ? 1991 United G Quarry Tile ;jj Washer and dryers in each apt "T\ Miniblinds -J Screened porches e Blvd. porches " CB-llll Lirteen teams participated in c" Th^'ivf .u ompetition. There were moie . iltl? 150 teams across the country S TP! 'p overall competition. ESPN June . ai is a tremendous boost for our in2 thioughout miiK & DB MAN\m #r w ; Rosewood Dr. 11pm I Z A i and Salads out m WhenT irily 1 Floods, hurric blizzards all have or /./' ; . . The Army Nation Ct there to pick up th v.y. <** ' *'* i*'A 1* /* * Jr 'j?l relief is an lmnortar ternational Crook competing in the nation's top tennis con- . [erence. the SEC. .e "We actually didn't make up our minds tej o come here until three weeks before the ;nd of die spring semester," Crook said. "1 jyj hink the facilities here are top notch, and fia ve've both been impressed with the friend- in iness of everyone here at USC." M: As the other 11 conference schools can po ittest, Crook and Davies have played fear- vk essly from day one at Carolina. At the SEC Coaches Classic in October, th< lie Lady Gamecocks pair shocked va Mabama's Titis Wilmink and Marouschka Ci /an Dijk, who were, ranked ninth national- re: y and were the tournament's No. 2 seed. m< 'rook and Davies advanced to the semifilals, falling to the eventual champions ^ 1 iom Auburn. , ' hp This spring. Crook and Davies have im :linched the decisive victory at No. 1 dou- M lies in USC's 5-4 wins over Texas A&M ^ md 23rd-ranked Tennessee and a 5-2 upset il title I Women's i oggs said. "High By TONY SANTORI ns watch the show Staff Writer nd they look for the The Lady Gamecocl go to, so it really finished 11th in a 19-t< dting.' 'the Southern Intei ina will be holding Tournament, hoste< icain in uit: spung University of Georgia will have a big try- past loming freshmen to usc [ed a dlree. d that performs a. of 9g5 |0 finish 59 sf pace set by the toumai ting lor well-round- ions San jose State ' are academically Caro)ina ,m lysically tit as well .... . . J . . out the tournament, h oggs said. . . nal Cheerleading Ah,01 ?>"f=uuve will begin airing on ' nd will continue air- Leading the Lady ( the summer. individually was sen Bates. The Farragut, Ti shot rounds of 82, 79 finish in a tie for 24tl M MWKM total was the bes I m Gamecock career. I u mm Six strokes behind a mmm * hings Are At Their W( iVeteAt Our Best anes, tornados and what an important part of A le thing in common, life we would become. Toda al Guard will be can predict the role well pl< te pieces. Disaster vears from now. One thine. 1 it part of our peace- is certain. When we're need ain year round to Army National Guard will t e day you need us. and well be there, re when our coun- If you're ready to be yoi iny of the 42,000 feel the pride of serving you 'mbers who served and community, contact: .WhentheGuard Contact Joyce J ?o no one knew 74^-4272 mericansAtTheirB lOvemment as represented by the Secretary of Defense. All rig! \rmy National Guard is an Equal Opportunity Employer. recognitic - -i of 22nd-ranked Kentucky. Neither player has been Slk a slouch in singles either. Davies won five consecutive matches to take the L consolation title of the I SEC Indoors, while Crook P . has been ranked as high as 58th in the IT A Collegiate |||^^i|* tennis poll. mk: Crook leads the team j with a 21-14 overall record, including an -? impressive 10-8 mark at Davies n0 i singles spot. She won seven matches in a row during March and feated five of the 11 ranked opponents e faced during the fall and spring semes s. In USC's dual match widi Vanderbilt in arch, Crook notched the greatest comeck of her career. Down one set and 5-1 the second to the Commodores' ichelle Dodds, Crook saved three match ints and stormed back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 dory. "I had beaten her in straight sets during ; fall, so I know if 1 had patience and ried my shots that 1 could come back," ook said. "(Teammate) Claire Hammond illy helped pull me through that match mtally," Crook said. Resiliency and mental toughness were ook's trademarks throughout the season, gainst 23rd-ranked Tennessee, Crook lped the Lady Gamecocks capture an portant road contest, defeating Debbie oringello 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Crook, serving wn 5-4 in the deciding set, fought off a ?olf team finishes i 1. San Jose State 921 k soil team ;2> Furman IHHi 931 ;am field at 3. Georgia 932 collegate & Tennessee . 948 , hv%hp 5. Ohio State 961 .If 6. Indiana m 11*11 963 in Athens 7 Texas Christian 97C -round total nff Rachel Bates ? lots ott the C|anssa Childs nent cham- SlewAlUm ?' Jill Darr re through- vJulie Norris owever, as r . c. * > , . Ireshmen Siew Ai Lim rounds ot Qarissa Childs Lim fired a C ? I TO/"**- 1 r, , ounuay iui u:>v s oesi rou Gamecocks ... . D . . the tournament. Tliey tied loi 101 Kacnei . place, enn., native 1 and 80 to finishing in a tie tor 67th h Her 241 was sophomore Jill Darr. t of her shot a 258 for the three rounc Rounding out the Gamec t 247 were scoring was freshman Julie f ?|| G' W( ;W | ALTEl K And in this W weighing r: f XJ 1 l y, no one ife nr best, to rmuntrv Summer living can be a m experience. Especially if you've got a s I By sofa the size of Nevada. At Whaley's Mill, you ha option of selecting convenient, i furnished apartments while XjOj comfortably close to campus 'V/OUa with our short term lease progra its reserved. can f hoof.e <? ,Uve a< Whaley's ? any length of time. So avoid the of summer moving. Come visi Whaley's Mill. We're in your corner. in to use match point and rallied to defeat the Tennessee senior who had beaten her twice during the fall. Crook and Davies say playing college tennis and in summer tournaments presents a different type of pressure. "It's different when you're playing for world ranking points for yourself as opposed to playing for your teammates and school," Crook said. "But I think the rewards are much greater in the team concept." Looking back over the course of the 21match regular season, Crook and Davies see much room for improvement individually and from a team standpoint. "I don't come to the net enough," Crook said. Davies, meanwhile, would like to become more aggressive with her top-spin backhand and see the Lady Gamecocks "mature and improve as a team." Both giils note that Coach Arlo Elkins has made a positive impact on their games. "Arlo enjoys the game as much as any coach I've had." Crook said. "He is so enthusiastic and has a uemendous will to win." Crook, a journalism major, hopes to one day write for a British tennis magazine, while Davies, a geography major, is undecided about her future plans. However, both girls agree that making the NCAA tournament is a top priority on the Lady Gamecocks future agenda. With a couple of wins in the SEC tournament April 29 through May 2, Gainesville, Fla., site of this year's NCAAs, will be another entry in Crook and Davies extensive travel log. 11th in tournament ? 8. New Mexico Stat? 971 B J;' 9, Alabama ::1B $ &:iff! 97$ 10. Mississippi Stat? 983 // Jiiii'l^.SOUThCAROUNA: 985 // 12. Auburn 996 // Nebraska 996 // i 14. UNC-Greensboro 1008 j i ^ I24th |; T67th : T76tH ^ Gqmgg?|j!i-.;: and at 267 and tied for 76th individu76 on ally. nd of The Lady Gamecocks resume r 37th their schedule from April 30 to May 2 when they compete in die place Southeastern Conference Darr Tournament. js The tournament will be held in ' Oxford, Miss., home of the Lady ?c s Rebels from the University of "oms Mississippi. JSC-FM ;&? I ^NATIVE 90.5 | 5 corner, at 6'5" in at 226 lbs... 1 . Wui ""~ M- " ? ? - -*- - - ? JWHALEYJL ve the WMILLU/ BOnEESBi 'And8 m, you dill for Where home isn't far away. hassle at Office Hours: J M-F 9:30-5:30 & ASSOCIATES 211 Main Street 254-7801