Men's Box Score

Women's Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – The Jacksonville State men's and women's tennis teams suffered setbacks to in-state foe South Alabama on Friday at USA's Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts. The Gamecocks dropped a tough 4-3 match to the Jaguars, while the Jax State women fell 6-1 to USA.

On men's side, JSU dropped to 0-3 on the season, while the women's squad stands at 1-2 overall.

In the men's match, the difference was the top-three spots in the line up as USA won all three singles matches at the top, while JSU claimed wins at No. 4, 5 and 6.  The Jaguars clinched their sixth win of the season after Manuel Belda won in straight sets over JSU's Jaryd Reese – 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2.  At No. 1, JSU's Pedro Wagner battled Daniel Leitner, ranked 117th in the nation, before dropping a 6-3, 6-4 match. 

A pair of freshmen notched their first career singles wins in the match as Dylan Gee and Jeffery Wendler-Filho picked up wins at No. 4 and 5.  Gee, playing in his first single match of the season, ousted USA's Shayann Vaezzadeh – 6-4, 6-3.  Wendler-Filho needed all three sets to post his first win on the collegiate level after splitting the first two sets with USA's Gerhard Gruindelingh.  The São Paulo, Brazil-native won the match in a tie-breaker, 6-5(2).  JSU's final point of the day came at No. 6 as Felipe Wenzel topped Quincy Olij – 6-3, 6-0.

In doubles, the No. 3 tandem of Mathias Chaim and Gee won a tight 6-5 match after winning the tie-breaker, 9-7.

In the women's match, USA swept the doubles to earn the first point of the match and then went on to win five of the six singles matches.  JSU senior Raisa Guasti, who was named a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference performer earlier in the day, won a thrilling three-set marathon over USA's Michaela Meszarosova at No. 1.  After dropping the first set to Meszarosova, 6-3, Guasti bounced back in the second set, blanking her foe – 6-0 to force a third-and-deciding set.  The Vitoria, Brazil-product carded a 6-4 win in the third set for her second win of the season.

At No. 2, Olivia Nguyen fell to Laura Valkova – 6-3, 6-3, while Zoe Bizinos suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Maria Cinta Papke at No. 4.

Earlier on Friday, the Jax State women were picked third in the 2014 OVC Preseason Poll, while the Gamecock men were placed in the fifth spot of the men's poll.  Austin Peay's men and Eastern Kentucky's women are predicted to win their respective 2014 OVC Tennis titles in a poll of the league's head coaches. The Governors earned 66 points and five first-place votes while the Colonels took 80 points and eight first-place votes.

On the women's side, Murray State grabbed second place with 71 points and one first-place vote followed by last year's OVC tournament runner-up JSU with 63 points.

Both squads return to action next weekend in Montgomery, Ala. to compete in the Alabama State Invitational.