South Carolina still alive for NCAA tournament berth
With just three matches left in the regular season, the goal is simple for the South Carolina men’s tennis team: win two of them.
If South Carolina can take care of Murray State (3-13) Friday morning, a win at No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 8-2 SEC) Friday afternoon or at No. 26 Vanderbilt (13-8, 4-6 SEC) Sunday would guarantee the 12-11 Gamecocks a winning season.
In that scenario, no matter what happens in SEC tournament next week, they would be eligible for an NCAA Tournament selection.
While head coach Josh Goffi is confident that South Carolina will make the tournament should it win two more matches, he is not beating around the bush when it comes to what the team needs to do this weekend.
“We make it very apparent what we have to do,” Goffi said. “We don’t hide from any kind of pressures. That’s something we’ve never done, and I don’t think any teams that aspire to be great do that. The pressure needs to be on the table.”
Picking up a win this weekend will be easier said than done. Kentucky is 11-2 on its home court. Although Vanderbilt has lost six of its last eight matches, the Commodores are battle-tested, having played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country.
Goffi has six upperclassmen playing for him, leading him to believe they will perform well when they step on the court on Friday in Lexington, Ky.
“I think the guys understand what it’s going to take, and there’s very simple things that we’re going to focus on this week in order to accomplish that,” Goffi said.
Kyle Koch has quietly been the Gamecocks’ most consistent contributor this spring. The junior has won his last eight singles decisions, mostly out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup, and has not lost since a visit to Clemson on March 5.
Freshman Andrew Schafer has compiled an admirable 16-4 record in dual match season, mostly out of the No. 6 spot.
Goffi has described his team as “flat,” meaning that his team is balanced and deep. Lacking the standout singles rankings that other SEC teams possess, Goffi will look to the No. 3 through No. 6 spots to take the pressure off junior Andrew Adams and senior Tsvetan Mihov in the top two positions.
“There’s no confidence builders; there’s nobody that’s okay,” Goffi said. “Every player at 1 and 2 on any SEC team is top 20, top 30. There are no breathers where they are down in the lower part of the lineup.”
After the loss against Texas A&M to open conference play, Goffi tinkered with the doubles pairs.
Since then, the Adams/Koch and Chip Cox/Mihov duos have remained intact, but they have switched between the No. 1 and 2 positions almost every match.
The team practiced doubles for more than three hours Tuesday in hopes of sorting out the pecking order for the final weekend of the regular season. As the Gamecocks approach a pivotal juncture of their season, Goffi is preparing his team to play its best tennis.
“Hopefully by Friday we are clicking,” Goffi said. “And if we are, then I feel extremely confident that we can get both of these (wins) and make a really good run at SECs.”