JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State men's tennis will continue its Fall 2023 slate this weekend with two invites. Six competitors will travel west for the Samford Invitational in Birmingham while three Gamecocks will take part in the Southern Intercollegiate Championships at the University of Georgia.
"It's a big weekend," head coach
Trey Morris said. "We've been hitting the practice courts hard and continuing to develop these guys, so we're ecstatic to see what they can do in a couple of strong events this week."
The Samford Invitational takes place Friday through Sunday in Jefferson County.
Aman Dahiya,
Liam Day,
Logan Haga,
Marko Milosavljevic,
Zach Murphy, and
Matei Palcau will participate in the event against some of the top competition from across the Yellowhammer State. Jacksonville State, North Alabama, UAB, and the host Bulldogs will all be in action, with Jax State starting play against UAB in doubles on Friday afternoon. After meeting UNA in two-on-two competition on Saturday, the Gamecocks will continue with singles showdowns against Samford. Morris' squad will meet UAB in singles play on Sunday morning, then conclude the event with doubles matchups versus Samford on Sunday afternoon.
"We're excited to get after it in Homewood," Morris said. "It will be a hidden dual format, so while you don't play the same team in the same day for a dual match, you get that dual match feel. It's huge for our younger guys to get a little taste of what a dual match is like. It's also another opportunity for our guys to continue to get meaningful matches. It's all a part of the journey for next season, and the Samford Invitational is just a piece in that puzzle."
Alin Fatu,
Ivan Marrero Curbelo, and
Lucius Soller will make the trip to the Peach State this weekend to play in the 55
th Annual Southern Intercollegiate Championships. That prestigious event, which will be hosted in Athens, Ga., will feature competitors from Clemson, Charlotte, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Mercer, UNC-Wilmington, and Vanderbilt. Like the Samford Invitational, the Southern Intercollegiate Championships should pose a great test for Fatu, Marrero Curbelo, and Soller as they meet top-tier opponents.
"The Southern Intercollegiates have been around for as long as I can remember," Morris said. "I grew up in that area and I remember going there when I was 19 years old. They've done a good job over the years of keeping it going and keeping it strong, maintaining an event that people in this region and across the country want to be a part of. I'm pumped for our guys to get down there, compete, and hopefully come back with some hardware."
The Gamecocks will look to take a big step forward this weekend in those road invites after hosting Kennesaw State, North Alabama, and Samford in the mid-September Jax State Invite.
Marko Milosavljevic highlighted that event by taking home MVP honors and the team will try to build upon that with positive results this weekend.
"Looking back, I think (the Jax State Invite) was one of the best things that could've happened to our program and our coaching staff," Morris said. "We have such a new team and it's my second semester here with the returners, so I'm still getting to know them and their style of play. Seeing those guys competing and in action gave us a lot of insight into the areas that we need to be spending more attention on in training, and we've been able to address those things and make some adjustments already."
Links to follow along with the Southern Intercollegiate Championships at UGA's Dan Magill Tennis Complex can be found at JaxStateSports.com.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateMTEN), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis) accounts.
