Gamecocks travel to LSU, Arkansas for matches
For head men’s tennis coach Josh Goffi, the main goal throughout this season has been to improve the Gamecock’s pecking order in the SEC, which is widely considered the strongest conference in the country.
South Carolina will look to move up a couple more notches this weekend when it takes on No. 27 LSU Friday and then No. 41 Arkansas on Easter Sunday.
The conference season has not been kind to the Gamecocks thus far, but the team did manage to pick up its first SEC win of the season last Friday against No. 66 Alabama.
“I felt like we needed to get on the board in the SEC and we did,” Goffi said. “The first one is always the toughest, especially for a young team like this. The guys are anxious to use that and reestablish their pecking order in the SEC. It starts with this weekend.”
LSU and Arkansas, though ranked, are two of the middle teams in the SEC, an indication of just how tough the conference is. After this weekend, there is only one regular season match left so the team knows it must take care of business.
“The guys are very excited,” Goffi said. “Our goal this weekend is to go out and see what we can do against LSU and if we get a win there, we are going to try and consolidate with the sweep.”
One of the main problems for USC has been the youth of the team; seven of the 10 roster players are underclassmen. With this inexperience comes some immaturity, and Goffi said this has hurt the team at times this season.
“Each guy needs to be held accountable on their own,” Goffi said. “We didn’t necessarily go out there (last week) and lose on purpose; it’s just guys [at this] age sometimes don’t have the emotional stability. They get so caught up in the moment that they lose perspective of what’s going on.”
The Gamecocks’ tough schedule this season has provided the perfect opportunity for the team to grow, even if it has not showed in the results. USC will need to translate the improvement into wins if it hopes to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.
“These matches are huge for a lot of reasons,” Goffi said. “We’re on the (NCAA) bubble right now at No. 39. Usually the top 39 get in to the tournament, but it can sometimes bleed down to 42 of 43. There are a lot of factors that go into getting into the tournament, but that is one of our big time goals because we haven’t gotten there in a while.”
The doubles team has not been a problem for Goffi as it has won three out of its last four matches; it is singles that has struggled. The inconsistency likely has a lot to do with the level of competition throughout the league.
“Every single day we are striving to improve, and we are improving,” Goffi said. “The guys are getting better and improving as the season goes on. It’s hard for outsiders to see, but the guys are doing an amazing job.”
Goffi reacts to former women’s tennis coach Arlo Elkins’ death:
“Arlo was a great man. He was definitely a mentor to me in the short time that we were together and I am definitely going to miss him. His laugh was infectious; whenever he walked into the building, I could hear him laughing and talking. It was something that I looked forward to every single day. He did a lot for me and helped me out as a young coach, and I think he enjoyed that and we had a great relationship.”