The 23rd-ranked South Carolina men's tennis team hopes to build momentum Friday night against a strong Wake Forest team.
The No. 18 Demon Deacons come into Friday’s match at a perhaps deceptive 3-2 record. Both of the team's losses have come against top-10 competition in No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 6 Duke, and the team has looked strong in its three wins.
The Gamecocks (4-1) are coming off a momentous 6-1 win against archrival Clemson last Saturday. The Gamecocks took the doubles point for the fifth straight match and won from the bottom five singles slots.
While South Carolina has been impressive from the bottom of the lineup, troubles at the top have persisted. The team has yet to win a point from the No. 1 singles slot, going 0-5 on the season. Against Clemson, coach Josh Goffi switched up his order, moving senior Thiago Pinheiro down to the second slot. There, No. 71 Pinheiro picked up his first singles win of the season, 7-6, 6-0.
It’s unclear whether Goffi will start Pinheiro or fellow senior Andrew Adams in the first slot. Winning from the top slot will be crucial this weekend as Wake Forest’s top player, No. 12 Romain Bogaerts, usually lines up in the No. 2 singles position.
The junior from Belgium is coming off a close three-set loss to the nation’s 14th-ranked player, Axel Alvarez Llamas. The former freshman of the year has traditionally bounced back well and whomever he squares off against will have their hands full.
The Demon Deacons are not the only ranked team the Gamecocks play this weekend. South Carolina will host a doubleheader on Sunday against No. 29 North Carolina State and Wofford.
The Wolfpack boast a 5-2 record that includes three 7-0 victories. While they have not found a permanent starting six, three top-125 players (Nick Horton, Austin Powell and Robbie Mudge) lead the way. The Gamecocks will again look to get solid production out of the top half of their lineup against a very balanced team.
For the Gamecocks, sophomore Andrew Schafer has quietly established himself as a force, holding down the No. 4 singles spot and amassing an impressive 4-0 spring record. The nation’s 83rd-ranked player has also started 3-0 in doubles from the No. 3 slot.
Against two balanced teams like the Deacons and Wolfpack, Schafer could prove to be an x-factor.
The Gamecocks have gotten good work out of the middle of their lineup, going a combined 15-3 from their No. 2 through No. 5 singles slots thus far. This production is key against well-rounded teams.
This weekend will be South Carolina’s last at home match for nearly a month. Following the Wofford match, the team will take a week to prepare for a trio of matches in Tennessee beginning on Feb. 13.
The Wake Forest match begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, while the Gamecocks host NC State at 11 a.m. and Wofford at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The Gamecocks begin SEC play on Feb. 26 against Auburn.