South Carolina Defeats Clemson 4-3 In Windy Conditions

April 4, 2000

CLEMSON, S.C. – Rob Steckley defeated Josh Goffi at number one singles 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in clinching the match as South Carolina defeated Clemson 4-3 in a men’s intercollegiate tennis match at Clemson, SC Tuesday afternoon.

The wind played havoc in the match, with gusts up to 40 mph. according to weather instruments at the the local airport.

South Carolina improves its record to 6-8 overall, while Clemson falls to 14-13 this season. Clemson is ranked 37th as a team according to the latest ITA poll. The Gamecocks are ranked 66th as a team.

Clemson won the doubles points behind Goffi and Darren Knight’s 8-2 victory over Steckley and Jerome Jourdon at number-one doubles.

Clemson took a 3-1 lead after gaining victories at number-two singles as Tomasz Boniecki won over Jerome Jourdon 6-3, 7-5, and Luis Garcia defeated Guillaume Legat 6-3, 6-2 at number-three singles. However, the Gamecocks evened the match 3-3, as Seth Rose defeated Brad Emendorfer 6-3, 7-5 at number-four singles and Juan Gamboa defeated Sandon Barth 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 at number-five singles.

At number-one singles, Steckley took a 4-1 lead in the final set, but Goffi won the next five games to take a 5-4 lead. However, Steckley won the next two games and won the third and final set 7-5 giving the Gamecocks the win, 4-3. Goffi is ranked 37th nationally in singles, while Steckley is ranked tied for 100th in the latest ITA poll.

“This was a great match,” said South Carolina Head Coach Kent DeMars. “Clemson came ready to play and we give Clemson a lot of credit. We were down 3-1 and we never gave up and kept plugging away. In the last match (Steckley vs. Goffi), Rob did a great job and adjusted to the wind. He is a freshman, but he is used to pressure. He has played in big matches before. He is a big-match player.”

SOUTH CAROLINA 4, CLEMSON 3

Singles 1. Rob Steckley (SC) d. Josh Goffi (C) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 2. Tomasz Boniecki (C) d. Jerome Jourdon (SC) 6-3, 7-5 3. Luis Garcia (C) d. Guillaume Legat (SC) 6-3, 6-2 4. Seth Rose (SC) d. Brad Emendorfer (C) 6-3, 7-5 5. Juan Gamboa (SC) d. Sandon Barth (C) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 6. Olof Akesson (SC) d. Micah Thompson (C) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles 1. Goffi-Knight (C) d. Steckley-Jourdon (SC) 8-2 2. Boniecki-Garcia (C) d. Akesson-Legat (SC) 8-5 3. Gamboa-Nelson (SC) d. Barth-Cohn (C) 8-6