No. 21 South Carolina Set for Matches at Clemson and Georgia Tech
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 21 South Carolina men’s tennis (2-2) gets ready for another weekend on the road, beginning with the renewal of the Palmetto Series rivalry at Clemson. The Gamecocks will take on the Tigers Fri., Feb. 5, at 5 p.m. before heading to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Sun., Feb. 7, at noon.
Quotable Josh Goffi
“We’re going to have to be ready right out of the gate Friday because rivalry matches are always tricky, regardless of the level of each team. Clemson has a good team this year, and we’re going to their house, so we have to be ready to compete on every point and bring our Gamecock GRIT to each match. We’ve only got three players who have played in this rivalry before, so it’s going to be exciting to see them in that environment.”
“The team is building match-to-match, getting better every match we play, and that’s an amazing feeling as a coach. We’re looking to carry that momentum into this weekend with specific goals we want to build on. It’s our last weekend before SEC play starts, so our goal is to be firing on all pistons by the time Alabama and Auburn roll in next weekend.”
Gamecock Notables
- The Gamecocks are 2-2 after a competitive match against No. 16 Wake Forest. Overall, South Carolina has played three dual matches against ranked opponents in the young season.
- Doubles pair Toby Samuel and Jake Beasley continue to lead the Gamecocks with an 11-5 record. The duo played in the No. 2 spot for the first time last weekend and brought in a commanding 6-2 win.
- South Carolina has won three out of four doubles points in its dual matches.
- No. 32 Daniel Rodrigues continues to be tied with Beasley for the team lead in singles at a mark of 9-3.
- Also with nine singles wins on the season is true freshman Samuel, whose overall singles record is 9-5. He won his first singles point in a dual match from the No. 3 spot in the order at Wake Forest.
The Palmetto Series
- The Gamecocks have a five-match win streak and are 68-42-2 all time against the Tigers.
- South Carolina and Clemson faced each other at least once each year from 1981 to 2019, missing their 2020 meeting due to the shortened season.
- Under Goffi, the Gamecocks are 7-2 against the Tigers with wins in the last five meetings.
Scouting the Tigers
- Clemson is 4-1 on the young season, with its only loss to South Florida at 3-4.
- The Tigers won two of their matches 6-1 and swept the other two 7-0.
- Three Tigers are undefeated in singles this spring –Teodor Giusca (5-0), Ryuhei Azuma (5-0) and Spencer Whitaker (4-0).
- Clemson returns six letterwinners this season with six true freshmen joining the team, including Azuma and Whitaker.
The Georgia Tech Series
- The Gamecocks are 32-13-1 all time against the Yellow Jacket, including a 5-3 mark under Goffi.
- The teams played earlier this spring in the Georgia Tech MLK Invitational Tournament. In the round robin tournament, the Gamecocks took home six singles wins.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
- Georgia Tech is currently 3-0, winning two at home against Kennesaw State and one on the road against Auburn.
- In their three dual matches this spring, the Yellow Jackets have not lost the doubles point.
- Georgia Tech boasts eight returners on their roster.
- The Yellow Jackets open the weekend with another SEC opponent, facing the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday before hosting the Gamecocks Sunday.
Rankings Roundup
No. 21 South Carolina
Singles
No. 32 Daniel Rodrigues
No. 81 Raphael Lambling
No. 118 Connor Thomson
Doubles
No. 44 Daniel Rodrigues / Connor Thomson
No. 59 Raphael Lambling / Phillip Jordan
Georgia Tech (NR)
Singles
No. 59 Andres Martin
Doubles
No. 31 Marcus McDaniel / Pablo Schelcher
No. 41 Keshav Chopra / Andres Martin
For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
