Sunday, January 21
Tuscaloosa, AL
4 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
at
#21 Alabama
In-State Battle Awaits Men's Tennis
1/19/2024 12:18:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Gamecock men's tennis opened their 2024 season splitting results last weekend in Tallahassee, Fla., and the program will travel across the state this weekend for a huge matchup on Sunday afternoon. Jacksonville State will take on Alabama for a 4 p.m. first serve at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility in Tuscaloosa.
"We expect a battle from Alabama," head coach Trey Morris said. "Their group consists of a lot of very good individuals, but I think we also have some really talented individuals on our team. For us, our culture's in a good place. If we come out, trust our quality, and compete well, we'll give ourselves an opportunity to get a result against those guys."
Jax State (1-1) started the Morris era with a 7-0 loss at Florida State last Saturday. The 20th-ranked Seminoles took control of the match early and never looked back in a lopsided win. Fortunately for the Red-and-White, they were able to manufacture a quick bounce-back as they drubbed Mercer, 6-1, the following morning. They cruised to a decisive doubles point and then added five singles results for good measure.
"We have guys who can absolutely play," Morris said. "It wasn't the best weekend on the court for a lot of our guys, but we got results and gave ourselves a good look in spots against FSU. We also learned that we have to come out with the right mentality. When we did that against Mercer, it was one-way traffic. It took about halfway through the match with Florida State for us to find our foundation, and at that point we were digging ourselves out of a hole. We just need to make sure we lock in from the first point through the last."
Senior Liam Day and sophomore Alin Fatu impressed in the Sunshine State on opening weekend. Day, a transfer from Division II power Francis Marion, picked up a three-set win over Mercer's Victor Putter in singles play and went 1-1 in doubles action, downing Putter and Samuel Barrow on court three alongside Fatu. Fatu, on the other hand, picked up that doubles win and a 6-2, 6-3, triumph in No. 2 singles versus Samuel MacLeod of Mercer.
Alabama (0-1) dropped its season opener on Monday at Georgia Tech. The Crimson Tide lost a tight doubles showdown and could not catch some breaks in one-on-one matchups, falling 5-2. Roan Jones and Andrii Zimnokh beat their Yellow Jacket counterparts in singles play and the tandem of Enzo Aguiard and Zach Foster added a win of their own. Sunday's test will be part of a doubleheader as they play host to Florida State at 11 a.m.
Jacksonville State will look to exact some revenge on the Tide this weekend after losing, 7-0, in Tuscaloosa last February. Alabama won consecutive doubles matches to take the opening point, then posted six two-set results in singles action to end the contest. They went on to go 12-15 on the year, falling in the third round of the SEC Tournament to Kentucky.
"For us to come out on top, we need to be locked in from point one to the end," Morris said. "Our brand of tennis and the things we do here are different than a lot of programs. We expect our guys to bring energy, effort, and enthusiasm to everything we do. If we're doing that, we'll open doors. We have the guys that, when those doors are opened, we're going to jump through them and take the opportunity."
Links to watch or follow along with live stats for Sunday's match will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks play road matches at Nicholls (Feb. 1), Baylor (Feb. 3), and Kennesaw State (Feb. 11) and a neutral-site pairing with Incarnate Word (Feb. 3 in Waco, Texas) before finally returning home on Sat., Feb. 17, as they welcome Troy to the Jax State Tennis Courts in the 2024 home opener.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
"We expect a battle from Alabama," head coach Trey Morris said. "Their group consists of a lot of very good individuals, but I think we also have some really talented individuals on our team. For us, our culture's in a good place. If we come out, trust our quality, and compete well, we'll give ourselves an opportunity to get a result against those guys."
Jax State (1-1) started the Morris era with a 7-0 loss at Florida State last Saturday. The 20th-ranked Seminoles took control of the match early and never looked back in a lopsided win. Fortunately for the Red-and-White, they were able to manufacture a quick bounce-back as they drubbed Mercer, 6-1, the following morning. They cruised to a decisive doubles point and then added five singles results for good measure.
"We have guys who can absolutely play," Morris said. "It wasn't the best weekend on the court for a lot of our guys, but we got results and gave ourselves a good look in spots against FSU. We also learned that we have to come out with the right mentality. When we did that against Mercer, it was one-way traffic. It took about halfway through the match with Florida State for us to find our foundation, and at that point we were digging ourselves out of a hole. We just need to make sure we lock in from the first point through the last."
Senior Liam Day and sophomore Alin Fatu impressed in the Sunshine State on opening weekend. Day, a transfer from Division II power Francis Marion, picked up a three-set win over Mercer's Victor Putter in singles play and went 1-1 in doubles action, downing Putter and Samuel Barrow on court three alongside Fatu. Fatu, on the other hand, picked up that doubles win and a 6-2, 6-3, triumph in No. 2 singles versus Samuel MacLeod of Mercer.
Alabama (0-1) dropped its season opener on Monday at Georgia Tech. The Crimson Tide lost a tight doubles showdown and could not catch some breaks in one-on-one matchups, falling 5-2. Roan Jones and Andrii Zimnokh beat their Yellow Jacket counterparts in singles play and the tandem of Enzo Aguiard and Zach Foster added a win of their own. Sunday's test will be part of a doubleheader as they play host to Florida State at 11 a.m.
Jacksonville State will look to exact some revenge on the Tide this weekend after losing, 7-0, in Tuscaloosa last February. Alabama won consecutive doubles matches to take the opening point, then posted six two-set results in singles action to end the contest. They went on to go 12-15 on the year, falling in the third round of the SEC Tournament to Kentucky.
"For us to come out on top, we need to be locked in from point one to the end," Morris said. "Our brand of tennis and the things we do here are different than a lot of programs. We expect our guys to bring energy, effort, and enthusiasm to everything we do. If we're doing that, we'll open doors. We have the guys that, when those doors are opened, we're going to jump through them and take the opportunity."
Links to watch or follow along with live stats for Sunday's match will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks play road matches at Nicholls (Feb. 1), Baylor (Feb. 3), and Kennesaw State (Feb. 11) and a neutral-site pairing with Incarnate Word (Feb. 3 in Waco, Texas) before finally returning home on Sat., Feb. 17, as they welcome Troy to the Jax State Tennis Courts in the 2024 home opener.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
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