The nonconference portion of the schedule over, and women's tennis head coach Kevin Epley said he's expecting big things from the women's team Friday and Sunday during their home matchups against Auburn and Alabama.
The Gamecocks (7-2), who have won their last three matches, are looking to make some headway during the first matches of conference play when they host the Tigers (10-2) and the Crimson Tide (8-1).
“What we need to work on this year is being more focused, both physically and mentally,” Epley said. “We have girls out here that want to win, and it's hard when you are going up against some of the top players in the nation. There is a hierarchy. We need to put away emotions of third set situations and just win them.”
Epley, now in his third season as the South Carolina head coach, knows how important these next two matches are for the Gamecocks.
In the past, South Carolina has held tough with both Auburn and Alabama, but hasn’t been able to finish off matches well.
“All three seasons that I have been here, we have held our own until the third set," Epley said. “They are both highly ranked in the conference with a very high skill level. Coming out of this weekend with two wins would be a big accomplishment for us and where we stand in the SEC.”
One player who is ready to win is sophomore Caroline Dailey. Dailey came onto the courts as a Gamecock last year and has since been on Epley’s radar. Epley said she has made a vast improvement in her singles rotation, posting a record of 17-9 for the season.
“She has really improved and held her own this year, moving from a six or five position to a two in the rotation,” Epley said. “We have a really young team who really wants to win. I am really looking forward to this weekend.”
On the other side of the court, the Gamecock men’s tennis team (8-5) has their work cut out for them as they face both Auburn and Florida in this week’s SEC play.
South Carolina men's tennis head coach Josh Goffi said he believes it’s crucial that the Gamecocks start off conference play on a high note.
“It means a lot in the fact that these are the first games of SEC play, and I feel that everybody wants to come out and win,” Goffi said. “We need to compete well and be smart on the court. Florida is the team that we need to watch out for, but I think if we make smart decisions, I think we can play with them.”
Essentially, if the Gamecocks can fill in gaps in their rotation, Goffi said, they'll have a good weekend.
“Plain and simple, we have to get a good rotation going,” Goffi said. “We’ve had holes in positions one, two and six. We’ve been amazing in doubles and amazing in three, four and five, but we got to get those three positions up to speed."
Kyle Koch, a senior for the Gamecocks, knows these SEC opponents all too well. After posting a 17-7 singles record and a 17-4 doubles record on the season, he's looks forward to this weekend and said his fellow teammates feel the exact same way.
“The start of SEC season is very important to us,” Koch said. “Obviously, we want to get the wins, get a good spot in the standings. Auburn has backed down to us the past few years, and we've got to keep doing what we do against them.”