JACKSONVILLE – Gamecock men's tennis could not climb out of an early hole in Tuesday's non-conference match versus UAB. Jacksonville State did not catch the breaks they needed and dropped some close decisions in a 5-2 heartbreaker against the visiting in-state foe.
 
"We're disappointed," associate head coach Trey Morris said. "Today was a match that we felt like we could take. We've got a group of guys that are doing the right things on a consistent basis and it's showing, because even though we may have fallen short in our last two matches, we're getting better.
 
"We've got a young group that's continuing to get after it on a day-to-day basis and as long as they continue to do that, as long as we continue to push, then these results where we're falling short and we're upset aren't going to last forever," Morris said. "This season is going to be a great year for our guys, but they've just got to continue to believe and work."
 
The Blazers (5-2) garnered the doubles point thanks to victories on courts one and three. Though Agustin Cuellar and Xavier Sarda Marti won their flight 6-3, Konstantin Benneman and Logan Haga came just short of earning the early advantage for the Gamecocks (4-4).
 
UAB picked up where they left off with two quick triumphs in singles play in the first and third flights. Vicente Arbelaez (7-5, 6-2) and Sarda Marti (6-4, 6-7 [3-7], 7-6 [7-2]) scored gutsy wins against their counterparts, but a pair of three-set defeats on courts five and six spelled doom for Jax State.
 
Jacksonville State men's tennis returns to action Thursday at home. The Gamecocks will welcome Wallace State Community College to the JSU Tennis Courts for a mid-week match beginning around 1 p.m. Links to follow along with live stats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
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