Men's Tennis Announces 2017 Spring Schedule
Nov. 30, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina men’s tennis program announced its 2017 spring schedule Monday that includes 12 matches against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, and seven teams that finished the 2016 season in the ITA top-30. Head coach Josh Goffi looks to build on a positive fall campaign as the team prepares for a challenging spring season looking ahead to tournament play.
The Gamecocks will have 10 home matches in the spring season, including in-state rival Clemson and six SEC teams (LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi).
“I’m excited for the schedule that we’ve put together,” said head coach Josh Goffi. “It has a nice build to it as we lead up to the SEC schedule. We’ll be on the road quite a bit early on but that will get the guys ready for some tough road competition in the SEC.”
The Gamecocks wrapped up a successful fall season after competing in several events including the ITA Carolina Regionals, the Bulldog Scramble and the SEC Coaches Classic. The men played in four final and seven semifinal matches in singles and six semifinals and one final match for doubles.
The spring season commences with a doubleheader at home against The Citadel on Saturday, Jan. 21, before hitting the road for two consecutive weekends. The Gamecocks will travel to Hanover, N.H., to play Dartmouth and Quinnipiac, then to Atlanta to matchup with Georgia State.
After two weeks on the road, the Gamecocks are home again for a doubleheader against Old Dominion and South Carolina State on Saturday, Feb. 11, and the following weekend Friday, Feb. 17, against NC State. The team then travels to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech on Sunday, Feb. 19, before the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic on Feb. 24-25, in Montgomery, Ala.
The men open up conference play with three matches at home against LSU on Friday, March 3, and Texas A&M on Sunday, March 5, before a showdown against Palmetto State rival Clemson at home on Friday, March 10. The contest marks another opportunity for the Gamecocks to grab a point in the annual Palmetto Series.
SEC play then kicks into high gear with 10 consecutive conference matchups, six of which will come against teams that finished the 2016 season in the ITA top-30.
The SEC Tournament will be played April 26-30 at the Barksdale Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. The Gamecocks look to improve after exiting the SEC tournament in the quarterfinals. The NCAA Championships take place at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens over May 18-29.
