JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State men's and women's tennis secured a pair of dominant wins in Thursday's home opener matches versus Lee University (Tenn.) and will hit the road this weekend to face two competitive squads.
Jax State travels west to Lorman, Miss., on Friday morning for a non-conference match at Alcorn State, then heads to Jackson State for matches on Saturday. The women will play at 11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively and men's action will begin around 3 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
"This is always a bit of a grind of a trip early in the season," Jacksonville State head coach
Mike Mucci said. "It's a great opportunity for both programs to keep building confidence and hopefully pick up two solid Division I road wins."
Fans unable to attend either of the showdowns in the Magnolia State can follow along with live stats, which will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
Jax State's women (2-1) scored a quick victory in Thursday's home opener. Despite dropping the doubles point, the Gamecocks picked up singles triumphs from
Romane Mosse,
Zuzana Pavelekova,
Dariana Prato,
Polina Ramenskaja, and
Ella Tuomela to secure a 5-2 match win.
The Gamecock men (1-1) earned their first victory of 2023 with a 6-1 drubbing of Lee at the JSU Tennis Courts. Doubles tandems of
Agustin Cuellar/
Xavier Sarda Marti and
Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez/
Alin Fatu claimed an early 1-0 advantage, and five singles victories by Cuellar, Beneyto Sanchez, Fatu,
Vicente Arbelaez, and
Vanja Dobrnjac helped Jacksonville State pull away in the blowout.
"We are excited for another opportunity to build and compete," men's tennis associate head coach
Trey Morris said. "Our guys are ready mentally and physically for the test we will face on the road in Mississippi."
Friday's matches at Alcorn State will be the Spring 2023 season openers for the Braves. The ASU women are coming off a 6-17 campaign in 2022 that saw them go 5-4 in league play before falling in the SWAC Quarterfinals. Their men, on the other hand, finished 6-13 last Spring and advanced to the SWAC Semifinals, where they lost to Jackson State.
Jackson State's men will open their season with Friday's match. They were a 9-9 squad a season ago that lost in the SWAC Finals to Alabama State. The Tiger women (0-1) started their Spring slate with a 4-3 setback versus Stephen F. Austin on Friday. Jackson State had a dominant 2022, finishing 17-7 and rolling through conference play with a 9-0 mark. They won the SWAC with ease, then lost at Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After this weekend's road trip, the Gamecocks will return home next week for more non-conference action. Jax State's men and women will play host to Wallace State Community College on the morning of next Friday, Feb. 4, then meet Young Harris at 1 p.m.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateWTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts.
