TROY, Ala. – The Jacksonville State men's tennis team suffered a 7-0 shutout at Troy on Monday, dropping just its third match of the season.
 
The Trojans (14-1) swept the doubles point with the No. 1 set going unfinished, while the Gamecocks (6-3) managed to salvage two set wins in singles play.
 
Joaquin Vallejo and Maj Tomas pushed Amer Bedwan and Carles Anton to a 7-5 decision at No. 3 doubles, but the Troy duo came out on top, and Vito Llinares and Fransisco Erramuspe won 6-3 over Guillermo Agost and Jordi Blanchar at No. 2. Aljaz Kaplja and Thomas Norwood went unfinished at No. 1.
 
In singles play, Vallejo nearly got the best of Anton at No. 1, but Anton battled back from a 7-5 loss in the first set and won 11-9 in the third. At No. 5, Norwood forced three sets against Nicolas Simkin, winning the second stanza 6-3, but Simkin rallied for set point with a 10-3 victory in the third.
 
The loss of the in-state rivals puts Jax State on a two-match losing skid after winning a season-long four in a row. Vallejo's singles loss was his first since Feb. 7 vs. Kennesaw State, snapping a four-set winning streak, while Agost saw his team-best five-match victory run end. Agost had not lost a match since JSU's tangle with the Owls, either.
 
The Gamecocks look for their tough out-of-conference schedule to pay off with Ohio Valley play beginning Friday. Jacksonville State is set to host Eastern Illinois for its first OVC contest of the season. After the match with the Panthers, JSU will set out of conference just twice between its remaining four league matchups.
 
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