Doubleheader against Elon, Wofford starts Carolina tennis season
The Carolina team has a new look coming into this season, with three new recruits set to play for the Gamecocks.
"It's going to be very important for us to come out ready to play, from the first point against Wofford," first-year coach Josh Goffi said. "Our team from the fall is going to be competing, but we have three new guys coming in right now in January that have never been in a college tennis match... In practice we've been trying to simulate that to a certain extent. We can't simulate the pressure that will be there on the court on Sunday, but we're doing our best to get these guys ready."
Junior Ivan Machado and sophomore Alexander Kostanov are the most notable returning players for the Gamecocks. Machado put together a record of 8-4 as USC's top singles player in the fall.
But new recruits Lewis Barnes, Nick Jones and Chip Cox are talented players who will make an immediate impact on USC's program. Barnes and Jones hail from England and Wales, respectively, and both have had success in ITF tournaments.
"I am ecstatic about the players we are bringing in this spring," Goffi said. "Even though we started a few years behind schedule in recruiting these guys, Matt [Lucas, assistant coach] and I were able to bring in our ideal classes. Each one of these players is going to be a major contributor to the future of this program, not just because of their playing abilities, but more importantly because of their character and work ethic."
Last year's Gamecocks defeated both of their upcoming opponents handily, dominating Wofford 6-1 in the season opener and sweeping Elon 7-0 in February. But Goffi is careful not to dismiss the two teams.
"Wofford is going to be a tough match," Goffi said. "The first match of the year is always tough, for many reasons. We're playing a doubleheader, with Elon as our second match. They're ranked every year, and [coach] Michael Leonard does a good job with that team. This is definitely not going to be a walk in the park this weekend. It's going to be a tough test for our guys."
USC started last year ranked No. 36 in the nation and finished the season with a record of 9-13 (1-10). This year, the Gamecocks hope to gain experience that will help them improve in the long run.
"Especially being my first season here, it's important for this team, being a completely new team with these freshmen coming in January, it's more of a rebuilding year," Goffi said. "We're going to go out there every single day and battle, and really take it one match at a time."