JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State men's tennis returns to the courts this weekend in a big road event. Six Gamecocks will head to the Country Club of Birmingham Invite in Jefferson County as the team progresses through its Fall 2023 schedule.
 
"I'm hoping that we are the team with the most energy, effort, and enthusiasm, and come in and trust our quality," head coach Trey Morris said. "We'll let the results fall where they may, but if we do those things then we're going down a great path. I believe the quality of our guys will shine through and turn into positive results."
 
A veteran group of Gamecocks will make the trip west to Birmingham this weekend for the revered CCB Invite. Senior Vanja Dobrnjac, sophomores Alin Fatu, Matei Palcau, and Xavier Sarda Marti, and freshmen Aman Dahiya and Zach Murphy will be in action at the Country Club of Birmingham. They will compete in singles and doubles play against competitors from programs such as Alabama State, College of Charleston, Georgia State, Louisiana, North Alabama, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UAB, and Washington.
 
"The CCB is a prestigious event and is something we're excited to be a part of this year," Morris said. "I think the expectations are always the same for our program. These guys are at Jacksonville State because they want to win trophies and they want to be part of something special, and that's what we're all about. We're going down there with the mentality to compete for trophies in every draw and enjoy the process while we're at it."
 
This weekend's invitational continues a busy Fall slate for the Gamecocks. Jacksonville State's men opened the new year at home with the successful Jax State Invite, a showing in which Milosavljevic took home MVP honors in his first collegiate action. After impressing at the Samford Invitational and Southern Intercollegiate Championships, Jax State totaled 15 singles wins at the ITA Fall Regionals in Auburn in mid-October. In addition, Ivan Marrero Curbelo and Alin Fatu performed in the ITF Futures Harlingen M25 in Texas earlier this week.
 
Three more Fall events await Jacksonville State as they progress through their Fall schedule. Gamecocks will play in ITF Futures invites in Fayetteville, Ark. (Oct. 30-Nov.5) and Winston-Salem, N.C. (Nov. 6-12) and ITA Fall Nationals in San Diego, Calif. (Nov. 4-6), as well as the North Alabama Invitational in Florence (Nov. 4-6).
 
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