Coming off a season that saw the University of South Carolina Aiken men's tennis team post a No. 24 national ranking at the conclusion of the season, head coach Steve Dahm's team has high expectations for the 2014 campaign.

“Heading into the season, we are No. 21 nationally,” Dahm stated. “We are trying to make improvements each and every day. If everyone on the team does that and plays to the ability they are capable of, it could be a very good year.”

Returning to the line-up are several key cogs from last year, including Ettore Damiani, Lucas Gobbi, Andy Quirk, Ronan Reberac, and Patrick Stiebinger.

The Pacers brought in a trio of newcomers, including Barry transfer sophomore Alejandro Andino. USC Aiken also inked a pair of rookies to the 2014 squad as Jaime Gusano and Felix Zahn will make their collegiate debuts this season.

Damiani, a junior, played mostly at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles spots a year ago. After being the team MVP in 2013, he had an excellent fall campaign and will once again see the opposition's top player.

Quirk, a junior, and Andino will likely battle for the No. 2 position. Both are highly talented and whichever student-athlete does not play No. 2 in singles will be at the No. 3 spot.

Gobbi, a senior, brings a wealth of experience to the table and will be in the line-up. Fellow senior Stiebinger could have played every position during his career and will likely be playing the No. 4 or No. 5 position. Battling for the No. 6 spot will be between Gusano and Zahn.

In doubles competition, Reberac will see plenty of action as he is a very good doubles player. Stiebinger saw an abundance of time in doubles play a season ago as he could be the best doubles player on the squad.  

According to Dahm, the doubles line-up could feature multiple pairings as the season progresses.

“We will go with our best three teams,” Dahm said. “We will try not to move everyone around a lot, but once we figure out our best three doubles teams, we should be very good.”

USC Aiken, which opens its season Feb. 1, has an extremely tough non-conference slate before opening Peach Belt Conference competition.

The Pacers begin their quest for the NCAA Tournament with a final exhibition at ABAC, which is one of the top junior colleges in the country. The following day, the team heads to Valdosta State for another outstanding match.

Dahm's team will not have much time to rest before traveling to Armstrong in the PBC opener Feb. 5. The squad steps back out of league play Feb. 7 at Belmont Abbey before playing Georgia Gwinett Feb. 8 for Homecoming. The Pacers return to the road for three of the next four matches (Feb. 11 at Newberry, Feb. 19 at Anderson and Feb. 26 at Erskine). The lone home date during that stretch is a match against state rival Coker on Feb. 15.

However, USC Aiken has a great home schedule during the month of March as eight of the nine matches are in front of its home fans. Pacer Nation will get to see the team face Pfeiffer (March 1), Mount Olive (March 4), Francis Marion (March 6), Georgia Southwestern (March 8), Columbus State (March 9), GRU Augusta (March 25), Limestone (March 27) and Lander (March 29). The lone road contest for Dahm's squad is a March 22 date against Flagler in Savannah, Ga.

The team concludes its regular season with three of its final five contests away from the USC Aiken Tennis Complex. On Apr. 1, the Pacers travel to Queens. The squad hosts North Greenville (Apr. 2) and Young Harris (Apr. 5) before concluding the regular season with matches at North Georgia (Apr. 6) and Georgia College (Apr. 12).

“Our non-conference schedule is very tough,” Dahm said. “Teams in our region have improved greatly over the past few seasons. For us to compete at a high level regionally and nationally, we have to be prepared for each and every team on our schedule.”

Should the Pacers succeed in being prepared every time they step on the court, Dahm's team could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.