April 8, 2003
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No. 20 South Carolina enters its final week of home matches, closing out the regular season with Region II opponent Wake Forest on Wed., April 9 and SEC rivals Florida on Fri., April 11 and Vanderbilt, Sun., April 13. USC swept its SEC matches last weekend, beginning the five-match homestand with wins over No. 18 Georgia, 5-2, and No. 42 Tennessee, 4-2. With the wins, the Gamecocks ran their home winning streak to 10 matches, the longest mark since 1994. A victory over Wake Forest would bring the total to 11 and equal the longest home streak by USC since 1984. The Demon Deacons enter action ranked 27th in the nation.
The Gamecocks own a decisive 19-3 lead in the all-time series vs. Wake Forest. USC has won seven straight matches, and 13 of the last 14 meetings with the Demon Deacons, including a 5-0 blanking of 22nd-ranked Wake Forest last season in Winston-Salem. Carolina head coach Kent DeMars owns a 13-2 (.867) all-time mark against Wake Forest.
HOME SWEET HOME:South Carolina has won all ten of its home matches in 2003, including victories over six ranked opponents (No. 64 Furman, No. 23 LSU, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 30 Clemson, No. 18 Georgia, and No. 42 Tennessee). It marks the longest home win streak by USC since ten-straight home match victories during the 1994 season. Last year, the Gamecocks were 11-3 in home matches, dropping the three matches to Top-25 opponents, two of which were 4-3 results.
ROLLING THROUGH THE REGION: USC is undefeated in seven matches this season against Region II opponents. The Gamecocks’ victory roll call includes the College of Charleston, Charlotte, Davidson, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Clemson and Georgia Tech, with a convincing combined score in those seven wins of 39-9. Wake Forest is USC’s final Region II opponent of the dual match season. Head coach Kent Demars has compiled an impressive 141-42 record,for a .770 winning percentage, against Region II opponents during his tenure at USC.
RALLYING AGAINST THE RANKED: The Gamecocks have recorded an impressive 9-3 record against ranked opponents during the 2003 dual match season. No. 64 Furman, No. 36 Mississippi State, No. 23 LSU, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 39 North Carolina, No. 30 Clemson, No. 23 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Georgia and No. 42 Tennessee all have fallen to the Gamecocks this season. The victory total against ranked teams includes three road wins (Mississippi State, North Carolina and Georgia Tech) USC has won seven of its last nine matches against ranked opponents.
