USC coach Goffi to face alma mater
No matter the sport or the ranking of the teams involved, any meeting between USC and Clemson creates a highly-charged atmosphere.
The USC men's tennis team has lost four straight matches, most recently a 7-0 sweep at the hands of Mississippi State,, but that streak will be forgotten when the Gamecocks take the court for their contest against the Tigers today.
"They're good," said coach Josh Goffi, who played at Clemson, but is no stranger to facing the Tigers, having been an assistant at CU's ACC rival Duke. "They've only lost a few matches all year. They've beaten some pretty good teams that we've lost to. It's definitely going to be a challenge to beat them, but it's Clemson. Our guys are really looking forward to this match."
Alexander Kostanov and Chip Cox are two players that will lead the charge against the Tigers. USC's No. 2 doubles team, the duo has played consistent tennis and won its last three matches.
"They're doing fundamentals very well," Goffi said. "They're making first serves and making great returns. They're consistently there — every single shot of every single point — and that's tough to beat in college tennis. There aren't a lot of teams that can withstand that level of play.
"They're starting to hit their stride. They still have some deficiencies left in their game that won't allow them to go undefeated the rest of the year, but they're playing with some good confidence right now."
In singles, however, the entire team has struggled. Against Mississippi State, Ivan Machado was the only player who won a set, taking the lead with a 6-1 win in the first set before losing two straight to drop the match.
Only two players, Cox and Harry Menzies, have won matches in the four-game losing streak. Each has racked up eight singles victories on the year.
"We're trying to find any angle that we can to encourage and motivate," Goffi said. "It's tough for a team that isn't getting a lot of wins to stay positive. But if there's one match where the guys are going to gear up for it, it'll be Clemson. I'm not really worried about guys coming out and competing hard."
The records of the two teams won't matter. The players will be ready to take the court against their rivals and bring back a victory in their most emotional match this year.
"I think there's a sense of pride for sure," Goffi said. "Our guys have been talking about this from the very first day. This is a match that everybody looks forward to and counts down to, no matter if we're undefeated on the season or we haven't won a match on the season. It's always going to be a rough match to play for both sides.
"As far as the team goes, they're fired up. They understand the rivalry, and they're fired up about it."