JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's tennis team began the 2019 spring with a 4-3 win over West Alabama on Saturday at the JSU Tennis Courts.
 
After winning the doubles point, Jacksonville State had to rally back after dropping the first three matchups in singles action.
 
Tied 3-3 with one pair still on the court, Joaquin Vallejo downed Linus Holthey in three sets at No. 2 to give the Gamecocks the season-opening win.
 
"I think this is a great start to our season," head coach Andres Amores said. "West Alabama is a team with a lot of depth, and they are extremely competitive. I thought our team fought really hard today."
 
Alexander Vishnevskiy and Vallejo got the ball rolling with a win at No. 3 doubles, while Jordi Blanchar and Guillermo Agost secured the point with a 6-4 win at No. 3.
 
Trailing 1-0, UWA rallied back to take the first three contests of singles play to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Aljaz Kaplja earned JSU's first singles point with a win at No. 1, followed by a win at No. 5 by Sergio Lizarraga in three sets.
 
Tied 3-3 and his match tied at one set each, Vallejo downed Holthey 6-3 in the third set to give JSU the victory.
 
Jacksonville State will enjoy a brief break before its next match, scheduled to take on Jackson State on Friday, Feb. 8 in Jackson, Miss.
 
For more information on the JSU tennis teams, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSU_Tennis) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUTennis). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).