Both of South Carolina’s tennis teams are off to a solid start this season after securing notable wins from both Clemson and South Carolina State.
The No. 19 women’s team was able to defeat Clemson 4-0, allowing the Gamecocks to earn a four-match winning streak. This was the second straight match at the Carolina Tennis Center that the Gamecocks won against the Tigers.
Standout performances from freshman Megan Davies and junior Rachel Rohrabacher helped to maintain South Carolina’s high-level performance. Davies and Rohrabacher won a 6-2 double win over their opponents Thursday.
Junior Paige Cline made a comeback playing in doubles in 2018 and in her matchup defeated the Tigers 6-3 with the partner Hadley Berg.
The effort from the Gamecocks performance during doubles Thursday was not overlooked by head coach Kevin Epley.
“I think we did a great job of making some adjustments. It’s all about getting a little bit better each match,” Epley said. “We did a much better job at doubles. I think having somebody else in the lineup and kind of mixing things up a bit helped a lot … but it was really just a matter of taking care of business. The stuff that we always talk about: outfighting, out-competing and being tougher.”
Much like the women’s team, the men's tennis team also executed and created a high rate of intensity while playing their opponent. The Gamecocks won 4-1 against South Carolina State in a doubleheader.
This win helped the Gamecocks improve to 7-1 on the season after Friday's tough matchup. A lot of endurance went into facing the Bulldogs as the Gamecocks did not start off strong.
"We had a bit of a slow start in doubles in the first match, but the guys came back storming through singles,” head coach Josh Goffi said. “That's what we're looking at in these matches: how guys are responding to situations in matches, how they're responding to doubles points in the singles points and how they're responding after a win in the first match transitioning into the second match.”
With the leadership of senior Gabriel Friedrich, the Gamecocks were able to earn the first match point in singles. Friedrich created an infectious rate of intensity for his teammates to follow throughout the match, ultimately securing the win.
The South Carolina men's and women’s teams will look to carry this momentum forward on to their next opponents in order to claim another win. The men will travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, to take on William & Mary and Howard this Friday, while the women will go to the University of Wisconsin this weekend for the 2018 ITA Team Indoor National Championships.