JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State men's tennis could not overcome a rough start and fell in Friday's ASUN Conference match to North Florida. UNF handed Jax State a 6-1 setback to put the Gamecocks below .500 in league play.
 
"It never feels good to fall short in any match," associate head coach Trey Morris said after the loss. "Yeah, the score is 6-1, but if you go back and look there was a moment in the match where we could've turned it. We could've won a tiebreaker at no. 5 singles and another one on court six, and the next thing you know we could've turned it around and won 4-3. We had a great look, but it just didn't happen.
 
"We know that we're doing great things and that we're improving," Morris said. "As the season ages, the quality of our guys is continuing to age well also. With that being said, we're excited for the final three matches of the year, to continue getting better, and compete for a championship when we get to tournament play. Our guys are very motivated and hungry, and this result won't define our season, but will rather make us that much better."
 
The visiting Ospreys (12-5, 5-1) claimed a competitive doubles point. After UNF had a lopsided result on court one, Gamecocks (10-9, 2-3) Konstantin Benneman and Alin Fatu scored a 6-3 win in the no. 2 doubles flight to knot it up. Unfortunately, North Florida took the opening point thanks to another 6-2 triumph, this time on court one.
 
UNF clinched the match with consecutive two-set victories on courts two, four, and five. Matei Palcau (6-7 [5-7], 6-1, 0-1 [5-10]) dropped a tough three-set loss in the no. 3 singles flight before Vicente Arbelaez tallied a 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9) triumph on the final court. Xavier Sarda Marti played in another marathon in the top showdown, but could not secure the win in a 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, heartbreaker.
 
Arbelaez's victory moves him into a tie for second on the team this year with ten wins alongside redshirt freshman Lucius Soller. With Benneman's fourth result beside Fatu in 2023, the freshman from Dortmund, Germany, has a team-best eight doubles decisions.
 
Jacksonville State resumes conference action Sunday afternoon at home. The Gamecocks will play host to league rival Kennesaw State at the JSU Tennis Courts. First serve is set for 2 p.m. in Calhoun County. The women's match versus the Owls will precede the men's showdown and is slated to start at 10 a.m. Links to follow along with live stats for those matches will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
"We're ready for the next opportunity on Sunday against Kennesaw," Morris said. "We're going to take that opportunity on, leave it all out there, and give one-hundred percent."
 
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 UNF
3/31/2023 in Jacksonville, Ala.
UNF 6, JSU 1
 
Singles Competition
 

1. Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) def. Alin Fatu (JSU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Matthew Carroll (UNF) def. Matei Palcau (JSU) 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 1-0 (10-5)
4. Bruno Vietri (UNF) def. Vanja Dobrnjac (JSU) 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
5. PJ Kotan (UNF) def. Lucius Soller (JSU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Vicente Arbelaez (JSU) def. Breno Marquez (UNF) 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9)

Doubles Competition
 

1. Rodrigo Crespo/Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. Vanja Dobrnjac/Lucius Soller (JSU) 6-2
2. Konstantin Benneman/Alin Fatu (JSU) def. PJ Kotan/Bruno Vietri (UNF) 6-3
3. Breno Marquez/Andreas Scott (UNF) def. Logan Haga/Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) 6-2