TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gamecock men's tennis starts a new season away from home this weekend. Jacksonville State will usher in the Trey Morris era in Tallahassee, Fla., with matches against No. 20 Florida State at 2 p.m. Saturday and Mercer at 9 a.m. Sunday.
 
"We're going to have some guys in their first college dual match this weekend and it'll be a fresh experience for them," Morris said. "What I want to see from the team is a group that brings more energy, effort, and enthusiasm in everything we do in competition. I want us to be the team that's more excited to be there and the team that's giving more effort. I believe we have the quality to come out with results in both matches; it just comes down to if we're willing to fight and compete."
 
Jax State raised eyebrows in their first Fall under Morris, dominating at the Jax State Invite, Samford Invitational, ITA Fall Regionals, CCB Invite, and North Alabama Invitational. Saint Leo transfer Ivan Marrero Curbelo highlighted the team's efforts, shining at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships and ITF Futures events in Harlingen, Texas, and Winston-Salem, N.C. His success garnered an ITA ranking of No. 45 nationally, the best such ranking for an individual in program history.
 
Marrero Curbelo leads an impressive group of Gamecocks that includes experienced returners and promising newcomers, such as seniors Liam Day, Vanja Dobrnjac, and Charlie Penman, junior Logan Haga, sophomores Alin Fatu, Matei Palcau, Xavier Sarda Marti, and Lucius Soller, and freshmen Aman Dahiya, Marko Milosavljevic, and Zach Murphy.
 
National power Florida State is coming off a 20-win campaign last Spring in which the Seminoles advanced to the ACC Semifinals and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, winning a first-round blowout against Baylor. There is no shortage of talent on FSU's squad this season, either, as they have the No. 97 singles competitor in the nation in junior Jamie Connel and the 52^nd-best doubles team according to the ITA in the tandem of Youcef Rihane and Loris Pourroy.
 
"(Florida State) is a program that's had a lot of success in recent years," Morris said. "Last year they were ranked as high as Top 15, and they're a well-coached bunch. We know we'll get some quality from their group, but we have quality in our team as well."
 
Mercer is perennially one of the best programs in the Southern Conference and, like Florida State, fell in the semifinal round of their conference tournament in 2023 as well. Jax State hosted Mercer last season, tallying a slim 4-3 victory in a four-hour marathon in Jacksonville thanks to a No. 1 singles triumph by Sarda Marti. The Bears had a productive fall from hometown product Samuel Barrow, a senior star that scored a team-best seven singles victories against solid opponents.
 
"We know a lot more about what to expect from Mercer," Morris said. "We saw a lot of their guys last year when we played them at home. It was an absolute battle and we had a big come-from-behind victory against them, clinching the match at the one-spot. We know it'll be a war against those guys, and we respect them, but I believe we're ready to go."
 
Links to watch or follow along with live stats for this weekend's matches at the Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks return home on Sun., Jan. 21, as they will welcome Jackson State to the Jax State Tennis Courts for the 2024 home opener.  
 
"As long as we are willing to outwork and out-compete both teams, our quality will shine through," Morris said. "That's the mindset we're taking into Tallahassee."
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.