The Gamecocks this week will be heading to Athens, Georgia for the Athens Regional. USC will play Nebraska in the first round. This year’s NCAA Tournament appearance for the Gamecocks is their 11th consecutive which ranks as the 11th longest streak in NCAA Division I women’s tennis. This season, the Gamecocks are 14-8 overall, and finished SEC play with a 6-5 record. Carolina is currently ranked 22nd in the nation. On Monday, you will have a chance to ask three student-athletes on the USC women’s tennis team questions in a live chat about the tradition of tennis at USC and what it is like to be a student-athlete so join them at 4pm at www.uscsports.com. Christyn Lucas is a sophomore from Miami, Fla. and has clinched six of Carolina’s 14 wins this season. She is second on the team in wins this season and has recorded a 22-13 mark overall with a 10-4 mark coming at the No. 2 singles position. Ranked 101st in the nation in singles. Miranda Gutierrez is a sophomore from Tampa, Fla. Last season, she battled injuries and broke a bone in her foot but came back to help Carolina clinch the match against Wake Forest in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. This season she is third on the team in victories and has played at either three or four in the singles lineup. Magda Wojdylo is one of three seniors on the Carolina squad this season. She has been one of the most versatile players in the Carolina lineup in her career as she has played anywhere from four through six in singles. She ranks among the top 15 in Carolina history in double wins. This season, she leads the team in overall wins. |
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| Moderator: I would like to thank all of you for sending in your questions and also thank you for your support of USC women’s tennis. I will now open the chat up for questions. | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: Thanks for all of your questions and support for women’s tennis. | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: Thanks for all of your questions. Go Cocks! | |||||||||
| Matthew (Kershaw): What is the toughest thing about being a student-athlete? | |||||||||
| Miranda Gutierrez: Managing academics, athletics and spending time with your friends. You don’t get the opportunity as a normal student but I enjoy being a student-athlete at USC. | |||||||||
| Brad (Union): Hello Miranda and Magda and you too Christyn. Miranda and Magda may remember me from the Gamecock Tennis Camp. Congratulations on a great season. I want to wish you ladies Good Luck in your NCAA Tournament appearance. Be sure to tell Arlo, I’m waiting on a call about this years camp! |
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| Miranda Gutierrez: Hey Brad. We hope you are doing fine and we can’t wait to see you at the Gamecock Tennis Camp this summer. Thanks for your support. | |||||||||
| pickens: how long u been playing tennis | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: I have been playing tennis since I was 8. Miranda started playing when she was four and Christyn started when she was six. | |||||||||
| Mike (Conway): How does it feel to be apart of a tradition where your school has went to so many NCAA Tournament appearances in a row? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: It is something that you can be proud of and it is an excitement to continue the tradition that has been carried on here through the years. | |||||||||
| Cindy (Irmo): Magda do you have any plans to continue playing tennis or perhaps coaching someday? | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: I am thinking about someday coaching but after graduating I will still play socially. | |||||||||
| Columbia: What are some key points that you will have to focus on to get past Nebraska on Friday? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: Winning the doubles point is one key and the other key is the weather. | |||||||||
| Lori (Lexington): Christyn, you are currently ranked 101st in the country. What are your goals of what you would like to accomplish before you graduate from USC? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: I would like to become one of the top players in the country and be an All-American. | |||||||||
| Lauren (Hilton Head): Miranda, you missed some matches last season but you had an important win last season in the NCAA Tourney and this season you have remained healthy and contributed with your wins at 3 and 4. How does it feel to be a sophomore and contributing at the top and middle of the lineup? | |||||||||
| Miranda Gutierrez: I worked really hard to be in the position that I am in. It is really important for me to pull out the matches that I play because I know the team needs me. I hope to continue to contribute to the team the next two years that I am here. | |||||||||
| Phil Lucas, Miami Florida: What will it take for USC Women’s Tennis to break the top 10? When do you see it happening? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: The doubles point is crucial and it will take everyone playing at the top of their game every match. I could see us breaking in the top 10 next season. | |||||||||
| Caroline (Columbia): Magda, how different is the tennis atmosphere here compared w/ the atmosphere in Poland? Are people here more interested and educated on the sport of tennis? What are your plans upon graduation? | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: In Poland it is more individually while here you have the team. The U.S. is the only country that give scholarships for tennis so many Europeans are interested in coming to the U.S. to get the chance to play and go to school. | |||||||||
| Maria Supe, Pittsburgh, PA: What is it like to be a student- athlete at USC? How difficult is it to juggle your academics along with your tennis schedules? Also, are you a close knit team or is it a challenge being together so much? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: We are definitely a close-knit team and get along very well both on and off the court. It is tough to juggle both academics and athletics but I have done it pretty well. | |||||||||
| Christina (Lancaster): Going to Georgia and playing in Athens will that give you an advantage with your match against Nebraska since you played there almost a month ago? | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: Not much of an advantage. The factor of the wind, and the heat but you have to come prepared to play. | |||||||||
| Drew (Columbia): Magda, what kind of impact do you believe you have made at USC? | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: I always try to give my best and I try to contribute to the team on and off the court. | |||||||||
| Moderator: Thats all of the questions for today’s chat. I appreciate all of you sending in your questions and supporting USC women’s tennis. | |||||||||
| Magda Wojdylo: Thank all of you for your support and I will miss all of you that have been here with me my four years at USC. Go Cocks! | |||||||||
| Christyn Lucas: Thanks everyone and thanks for all of your support. Go Cocks! | |||||||||
| Miranda Gutierrez: Thank you for your support and Go Gamecocks! | |||||||||
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