Gamecocks open season against Furman
As the South Carolina women’s tennis team prepares to kick off the new season, much of the excitement surrounds breaking in the new stadium in the athletics village.
“Obviously, it’s a fabulous facility,” said coach Arlo Elkins. “Just look around. The whole athletic village is going to be something to behold. I’ve been here 29 years, and I think I’ve waited long enough for this facility, so we’re really looking forward to getting our first match in here.”
Junior Jaklin Alawi, ranked No. 33 in the country after an exceptional 7-2 fall season of tournament play, noted that the new stadium has provided extra motivation.
“It’s an amazing feeling every time I come to practice,” Alawi said. “I’m so excited about it. I feel like I have to give 100 percent. It’s really nice.”
The Gamecocks square off against Furman at 3:30 p.m. today, looking to start the season off with a win. Dijana Stojic expressed confidence about their opposition.
“I mean, obviously we’ve never lost to them,” Stojic said. “We’ll see tomorrow, but we’re ready.”
Stojic, a senior from Croatia ranked 80th in the nation, also spoke to the benefits of tournament play from last semester. “The fall was [a] really good test for us. I think we’re set up good for tomorrow and for the rest of the season.”
The Gamecock women are ranked No. 28 in country and are riding a streak of 17 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament. There doesn’t seem to be any extra pressure to keep that streak alive, though.
“It’s not pressure; it’s a competitive feeling.” Elkins said. “We feel the competitive spirit to get there. We’re gonna put our best foot forward and hopefully get there 18 straight years.”
Alawi, a transfer student from Bulgaria, wasn’t concerned about the streak either.
“We’ve been there 17 times in a row. We can do it as long as we keep working hard and stay on the same page,” Alawi said.
Elkins also spoke about the depth of talent of this years roster saying, “I can’t remember, boy, in a long time, we’ve had three girls ranked in the top nationally. I think that’s a testament to how hard they’ve worked and where their game is at this time. Anya Morgina’s ranked 20th in the country, and we haven’t had many players ranked higher than that.”
In regards to Stojic, Elkins said, “She’s just a tough out. She’s been a big part of this team ever since she’s been here, and hopefully she’ll finish strong this year.”
However, such talent brings high expectations.
“We expect some big things from them, and we just hope they can carry through their expectations,” Elkins said.
Alawi was candid about both self-expectations, and those for the team.
“I had a pretty good fall season, so I have pretty good confidence now,” Alawi said. “I expect very high things from me and the girls. But I don’t want to put any extra pressure, so I’ll take it match by match and we’ll see what happens.”
It’s never a surprise to hear about chemistry and team cohesiveness as a point of emphasis, but this year’s squad seems particularly close, despite its international flavor. In fact, seven countries are represented by only nine players.
When asked about language being a barrier for building unity with teammates, Alawi laughed.
“We have pretty good chemistry,” Alawi said. “We try to keep it in English.”
Elkins summed up the team and its potential best.
“The chemistry on the team is very good,” Elkins said. “That’s what really makes teams. You can win a lot more matches with a team that has good chemistry than you can with a team with just talent. This team has both. If we can continue to improve and stay on the same page, I think we’ll do really well this year.”