TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A win in the top flight over one of the nation's best doubles tandems highlighted a Sunday afternoon showdown at Alabama for Jacksonville State's men's tennis program. The Gamecocks held tight on a few courts, but could not claim a point in a 7-0 setback at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. 

"It wasn't our best tennis and it's not our brand of tennis," head coach Trey Morris said. "It's something we'll have to clean up moving forward as we look to continue to push through the season. It's one that not only myself and the staff would like to have back, but one that the guys would like to have back."
 
Jax State (1-2) opened action in Tuscaloosa with a stunning upset in No. 1 doubles. The freshman duo of Marko Milosavljevic and Zach Murphy topped Filip Planinsek and Andrii Zimnokh of Alabama (1-2), the country's 25^th-best team according to ITA, on their home turf, 6-2. The Red-and-White battled in the other doubles showdowns but fell just short, losing 6-4 and 6-3 to drop the opening point. 
 
The Crimson Tide rolled in singles play against the Gamecocks. They were able to take out the frustration of Sunday morning's 4-3 setback versus No. 20 Florida State by tallying five two-set decisions in one-on-one matchups. Sophomore Xavier Sarda Marti gave it a good showing in the third court, but bowed out to UA's Andrii Zimnokh in three sets (2-6, 6-4, 5-7). 

"We've got tomorrow off, and then we've got a little training block," Morris said. "We'll take some things that we saw today, bring them into the training court next week, and continue the journey that is the season. It's a process and we may be disappointed today, but hopefully we can use this as an opportunity for us to grow and improve."
 
The Gamecocks return to play next Thursday, Feb. 1, as they continue their extended road trip. The team will make road trips to Nicholls (Feb. 1), Baylor (Feb. 3), and Kennesaw State (Feb. 11) and play a neutral-site pairing with Incarnate Word (Feb. 3 in Waco, Texas) before coming home on Feb. 17 to play host to Troy in the 2024 home opener.
 
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