GREENVILLE, S.C. – Jacksonville State men's tennis dropped a tight non-conference match Saturday at Furman. The Gamecocks rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the match but fell just short of securing a win in the Palmetto State.
 
Jax State (4-3) scored a quick doubles victory via Konstantin Benneman and Logan Haga (7-5), but the tandems of Vanja Dobrnjac and Lucius Soller (6-7 [6-8]) and Agustin Cuellar and Xavier Sarda Marti (6-7 [4-7]) lost in tiebreakers to surrender the opening point to the Paladins (3-4).
 
Furman added to its lead with singles victories on courts three and one before the Gamecocks started their comeback. Sarda Marti picked up a 6-3, 6-3, win in the no. 2 singles flight and Soller earned a 6-3, 6-4, triumph on the fourth court. With a Dobrnjac win in the no. 5 singles flight, the fate of the match rested on the sixth court. As fate would have it, freshman Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez narrowly lost 6-4, 0-6, 2-6, in the decisive showdown, and Furman clinched a slim decision.
 
"Today was an absolute heartbreaker for us and our guys," men's tennis associate head coach Trey Morris said. "We had a ton of opportunities, both in the doubles that we missed and in the singles, but the truth is that we're moving in the right direction and today was a sign of that. Full credit to this Furman team. They fought hard and found a way to get through us, but it was one of those matches where it felt like we did a phenomenal job of controlling the controllables and we took care of our business.
 
"We know it wasn't the warmest day in the world and the wind was whipping, but our guys stayed composed and at the end of the day gave themselves an opportunity for a victory," Morris said. "Unfortunately, we didn't quite seize them, but we will down the road. Today was a good sign of things to come and we're going to build off what is of course a difficult and disappointing loss for the future. Our eyes are now solely focused on our in-state foe, UAB, on Tuesday. We've got a young group and they're going to play their best tennis at the end of the season."
 
Jacksonville State men's tennis returns home on Tuesday for an afternoon match with the aforementioned Blazers. That showdown will begin around 1 p.m. Links to follow along with live stats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateMTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts. 
 
Tennis Match Results
JSU vs FUR
2/11/2023 at Greenville, S.C.
FUR 4, JSU 3
 
Singles Competition
 

1. Jerry Barton (FUR) def. Agustin Cuellar (JSU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) def. Elijah Poritzky (FUR) 6-3, 6-3
3. Thomas Kennedy (FUR) def. Vicente Arbelaez (JSU) 6-1, 6-4
4. Lucius Soller (JSU) def. Connor Laymon (FUR) 6-3, 6-4
5. Vanja Dobrnjac (JSU) def. John Rado (FUR) 6-4, 6-2
6. Cole Burnam (FUR) def. Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez (JSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2

Doubles Competition
 

1. Cole Burnam/Thomas Kennedy (FUR) def. Vanja Dobrnjac/Lucius Soller (JSU) 7-6 (8-6)
2. Jerry Barton/Elijah Poritzky (FUR) def. Agustin Cuellar/Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Konstantin Benneman/Logan Haga (JSU) def. Connor Laymon/Chad Nash (FUR) 7-5