MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. – Jacksonville State men's tennis had a solid start and never looked back in their 4-1 triumph over Austin Peay at the Mountain Brook YMCA on Saturday afternoon. That win in the regular season finale ensures a 4-4 record in league play for the Gamecocks, helping them secure the seven-seed for next week's ASUN Tournament.
"We're very happy and proud of our guys for their ability to stay locked in and focused in an environment that they haven't been in before," associate head coach
Trey Morris said after the win. "It was our first time playing at the Mountain Brook YMCA, I believe, in program history, and our guys handled it well. We had to start with singles first, which is something that a lot of our guys have never done before, and they started it off the right way. When you win six first sets, it puts you in a really good position to be successful."
"We're very appreciative of one of our program alumni, Joey, for allowing us to use their inside courts to make sure we get the match in due to inclement weather," Morris added.
Since Saturday's match was played at an indoor facility in Jefferson County that had just three courts, the conference showdown started with singles play and finished as soon as Jax State (14-12, 4-4) clinched the win over the Governors (4-14, 1-7). As such, the matchup ended without doubles play beginning.
The Gamecocks jumped out to an early lead when
Matei Palcau scored a quick 6-1, 6-2, victory on court two. After a narrow three-set heartbreaker for
Xavier Sarda Marti in the top flight,
Alin Fatu rebounded with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, triumph in the no. 3 singles pairing.
Vanja Dobrnjac (6-3, 6-2) added a two-set win on court four and freshman
Konstantin Benneman clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-0, result in the final flight.
Lucius Soller was leading as well in his contest, but it ended unfinished.
With another singles win on Saturday, Dobrnjac improved to a team-best 15-6 in one-on-one competition this Spring. Benneman posted his first league triumph as a Gamecock while Romanians Fatu and Palcau picked up their ninth and eight singles wins of 2023.
Saturday's results across the ASUN Conference saw Jacksonville State's men secure the no. 7 seed for next week's league tournament. The Gamecocks will travel to two-seed Liberty on Thursday for a first round matchup with no. 10 Eastern Kentucky. The winner will take on the host Flames the following afternoon in the ASUN Quarterfinals. More information on those matchups, including game times and live stat links, will be provided as they come available 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 APSU
4/8/2023 in Mountain Brook, Ala.
JSU 4, APSU 1
Singles Competition
- Sota Minami (APSU) def. Xavier Sarda Martin (JSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
- Matei Palcau (JSU) def. Giovanni Becchis (APSU) 6-1, 6-2
- Alin Fatu (JSU) def. Tom Bolton (APSU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
- Vanja Dobrnjac (JSU) def. Aeneas Schaub (APSU) 6-3, 6-2
- Lucius Soller (JSU) vs. Javier Tortajada Bautista (APSU) 7-6 (7-5), 5-2, unfinished
- Konstantin Benneman (JSU) def. Bodi Van Galen (APSU) 6-0, 6-0
