Men's Tennis Announces 2021 Schedule
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis head coach Josh Goffi announced today his team’s Spring 2021 schedule, which includes 20 dual matches and the Georgia Tech MLK Invitational. After being one of the few conferences to play matches in the fall, the SEC plans for a full 12-match schedule this spring, including a weekend held to make up any matches that may have been postponed.
“We are grateful and excited for the opportunity to play a great schedule during times like these,” Goffi said. “Our young but capable squad will be tested against the best teams in the country and have plenty of opportunity to grow throughout the year.”
The Gamecocks will play the first month of the season on the road, beginning at the Georgia Tech MLK Invitational in Atlanta January 16-18, playing in the tournament for the second-straight season.
The six-match road swing to open the season begins at Charlotte on Fri., Jan. 22, before the Gamecocks head to Chapel Hill for ITA Kickoff Weekend. South Carolina opens the event against Duke on Jan. 24 and will face either host North Carolina or Northwestern the next day. The winner of the four-team event will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Champaign, Ill. (Feb. 12-14).
The Gamecocks will continue to face nearby ACC foes, traveling to Wake Forest (Jan. 31), Clemson (Feb. 5) and Georgia Tech (Feb. 7) over the next two weekends.
The SEC schedule begins at home for South Carolina, hosting Auburn (Feb. 19) and Alabama (Feb. 21). Four other SEC teams will visit Carolina Tennis Center with Tennessee (Mar. 5), Georgia (Mar. 7), Arkansas (Mar. 28) and Florida (Apr. 9) traveling to play the Gamecocks. Goffi’s team will travel to Texas A&M (Feb. 26), LSU (28), Mississippi State (Mar. 12), Ole Miss (Mar. 14), Kentucky (Apr. 2) and Vanderbilt (Apr. 4).
The weekend of Mar. 19-21 will be held for possible SEC matches that may have been postponed. If the Gamecocks do not need to do that, they plan to host NC State (Mar. 19) and North Carolina (Mar. 21) at Carolina Tennis Center.
South Carolina will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2021 SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament, which is set to begin on Mon., Apr. 19.
The Gamecocks are 67-31 (.684) over the last four seasons under Goffi, including a 23-17 mark in SEC action, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in three of those seasons. In the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 campaign, South Carolina was 9-5 (2-2 SEC) and ranked 18th in the nation.
For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
