LYNCHBURG, Va. – Jacksonville State men's tennis saw their season come to a close with a 4-0 loss at Liberty in Friday afternoon's ASUN Tournament Quarterfinal matchup at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
 
"Liberty (14-9) came out fast in doubles and took it to us," associate head coach Trey Morris said after the defeat. "We fell behind on (courts) two and three, and although (no. 1 doubles) was right there ready to seize the victory, we couldn't hold on and give them a chance to win it.
 
"Honestly, it was kind of the same story in singles," Morris said. "We had two-thirds of the group go down a bit quicker than we would've liked, and the other third gave them a great look and were ready to walk through the door. There were some moments on other courts that we had, but we weren't quite good enough today. All credit goes to Liberty, though. We were expecting a tough match and they brought it today."
 
Liberty, the 71^st-ranked team in all of college tennis, took the opening point with a pair of lopsided wins. A 6-1 triumph on court three set the tone, and although Vanja Dobrnjac and Lucius Soller were tied with LU's Josh Wilson and Chistiaan Worst, 5-5, in the top flight, that test was unfinished as the Flames posted a 6-2 clinch in the no. 2 doubles showdown.
 
Jax State (13-11) struggled early in singles play as well. The Gamecocks dropped each first set and fell behind 2-0 after suffering a 6-1, 6-1, setback on court six. Following two more Flame triumphs in the no. 3 and no. 5 flights, Liberty punched their ticket to the ASUN Semifinals with a 4-0 win over the Red-and-White.
 
With Friday's loss in Virginia, Jacksonville State's impressive 2023 campaign officially comes to a close. The Gamecocks made great strides this Spring with a young team, however, tallying their most wins in a season in four years. In addition, Thursday's victory over Eastern Kentucky served as the program's first postseason decision since downing Belmont, 4-2, in the Ohio Valley Conference Semifinals on Apr. 27, 2019. Jax State is set to return all of their production next year, as junior Vanja Dobrnjac is the oldest student-athlete on the squad.
 
"Our season was a year of ups and downs," Morris added. "We believe we've gotten better with every match and it's a shame the season had to end today, but we didn't get better without our fair share of struggles. Our guys dealt with an addition to the coaching staff at the start of the Spring and some new philosophies and ideas, and they responded really well. We had some tough moments with results we weren't happy with against teams we feel we should be beating. But the guys kept competing in practice, in the weight room, and on the courts, and that's what afforded us the opportunity to have a successful season and start to lay our foundation.
 
"All our Jacksonville State alumni, community members, administration, coaching staff, and team members should be proud of this group for what they fought through this year and what they accomplished," Morris said. "This is a very young group that didn't have a winning record last year, and they were able to produce a winning season and beat a Kennesaw State team they hadn't beaten in nine years. This is only the start for this program that's beginning to thrive and grow."
 
The women, who also qualified as a seven-seed for the postseason, will open ASUN Tournament play Saturday morning against ten-seed North Alabama at second-seeded Stetson.
 
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 LU
4/14/2023 in Lynchburg, Va.
LU 4, JSU 0
 
Singles Competition
 

1. Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) vs. Josh Wilson (LU) 1-6, 5-5, unfinished
2. Alin Fatu (JSU) vs. Rafael Marques Da Silva (LU) 3-6, 1-4, unfinished
3. Christiaan Worst (LU) def. Matei Palcau (JSU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Vanja Dobrnjac (JSU) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith (LU) 4-6, 4-3, unfinished
5. Beau Pelletier (LU) def. Lucius Soller (JSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Luis Felipe Miguel (LU) def. Konstantin Benneman (JSU) 6-1, 6-1

 
Doubles Competition
 

1. Vanja Dobrnjac/Lucius Soller (JSU) vs. Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LU) 5-5, unfinished
2. Luis Felipe Miguel/Deji Thomas-Smith (LU) def. Konstantin Benneman/Alin Fatu (JSU) 6-2
3. Rafael Marques Da Silva/Thando Longwe-Smit (LU) def. Logan Haga/Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) 6-1