Men’s tennis travels to No. 39 Wake Forest
Coming off a victory at Georgia Tech last week against the highest ranked team it has defeated under coach Josh Goffi, the USC men’s tennis team will continue its three-match road trip and take on another ACC foe in No. 39 Wake Forest.
The Gamecocks made a name for themselves on the college tennis scene in beating the No. 22-ranked Yellow Jackets on the road Friday, and will look to keep their dual-match record (6-0) intact when they face the Demon Deacons Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C. During the six matches they’ve won this season, they’ve only dropped three points and have swept four of the matches. On the flip side, Wake Forest is looking to rebound after losing to No. 41 Virginia Commonwealth and No. 30 Notre Dame this weekend. Of the seven dual matches the Deacons have played, they have a record of 4-3.
Even coming off such a big win early in the season, Goffi knows beating a top 40 Wake Forest team won’t be easy, especially after the Gamecocks’ big win and the Demon Deacons’ tough weekend.
“This is a tough match for us,” Goffi said. “Coming off a win like [Georgia Tech], for a young group you can feel comfortable and get complacent once you get a big win. It’s a difficult situation that we’re going into.”
Goffi said he’d been trying to convey to his team all week that this would be the toughest match of the season since they had achieved a huge early-season win in Atlanta, and since Wake Forest will be trying to rebound after losing to two ranked teams. The Demon Deacons are led by two excellent singles players, senior David Hopkins and junior Danny Kreyman, who was a top 100 player in the nation last year as a sophomore.
“Danny Kreyman is a very tricky player,” Goffi said. “He’s got a quick serve; he’s very crafty around the court. He’s a tough player to play; we’re definitely worried about him ... We need to prepare for the best.”
The Gamecocks have been solid in doubles all season, only dropping one doubles match so far. In singles, USC is led by sophomore Nick Jones and senior Ivan Machado, who has excelled in both singles and doubles this year, pairing with fellow Brazilian Thiago Pinheiro.
“He’s done a great job this year,” Goffi said of Machado. “He’s constantly working and constantly trying to get better.”
Goffi also stressed that the No. 1 and No. 2 singles players will be incredibly polished players no matter what school they play for, and that those matches will always be a battle.
“Obviously, the level of competition changes. But the way we approach a match, absolutely nothing changes,” Goffi said.
Goffi stressed the need to prepare adequately and get the victory, just as Wake Forest’s previous two opponents did.
“[Notre Dame and VCU] came in and took care of business ... They prepared the players for the situation and the circumstances. Now we have to go and take care of business,” Goffi said.
On Thursday, the Gamecocks look to take their coach’s words to heart and continue their undefeated season against another struggling, yet dangerous, ACC opponent.