USC travels to Florida for first-round match with Auburn
The mantra of the South Carolina men’s tennis team as it heads to the SEC Tournament is that anything can happen.
The Gamecocks are slated to face Auburn, one of the top teams in the nation, in Thursday’s opening round match. The two teams last met on March 11 with the Tigers coming away with a 6-1 victory. The contest began an 11-match losing streak for Carolina.
“We’ve definitely improved. Unfortunately, we’ve played much better teams as the season has gone along,” said coach Josh Goffi. “We’re going into this match with an open mind. Auburn is currently No. 20 in the country. They’re very good pretty much in every spot. They’ve proven that throughout the season. It’ll be a dogfight. We’re looking forward to having a battle.”
USC rounded out its regular season with a 4-0 loss to No. 17 Florida. The Gators clinched the doubles point with wins in No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, then went on to win the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 singles matches to cement the victory. Machado was locked in a battle with the Gators’ Sekou Bangoura Jr. at the No. 2 spot when play was suspended. He managed to win a long first set on a tiebreaker but trailed 5-2 in the second set.
The Gamecocks will field a slightly different lineup against Auburn than they did in March. Freshman Nick Jones, who played No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles in the previous matchup with the Tigers, has struggled with injuries all season. Sophomore Alexander Kostanov and freshman Chip Cox, who competed at the No. 2 doubles spot, have since become USC’s consistent No. 1 team.
“We’re going to have a few different matchups,” Goffi said. “We’re hoping that those are going to be in our favor. It’s not something that we did on purpose. It’s just the way that our lineup has changed toward the end of the year, and their’s has as well.”
The SEC Tournament provides an opportunity for individuals and doubles teams to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. While Kostanov and Cox are not nationally ranked, they lead all Gamecock doubles teams with five wins on the year.
The Tigers’ top doubles team, Tim Puetz and Daniel Cochrane, are currently No. 24 in the nation. But USC’s players believe they are capable of pulling off an upset.
“[Kostanov and Cox are] going in there and playing a team that’s definitely ranked pretty high,” Goffi said. “Anything can happen. The team has to do well for us to advance. But they’ve had a great year. Anything can happen. If they can get a win this go-around, they could have a shot.”