Saturday, February 24
JACKSONVILLE
1 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Furman
Gamecocks Face Furman, Chattanooga at Home This Weekend
2/23/2024 4:07:00 PM | Men's Tennis
JACKSONVILLE – After scoring two big home wins last week, Jacksonville State's men's tennis squad returns to the Jax State Tennis Courts this weekend for two non-conference matches. They will host Furman at 1 p.m. Saturday, then conclude their homestand with a 2 p.m. showdown with Chattanooga on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (5-4) were knocked off by visiting Troy, 5-2, in their home opener last Saturday, but rebounded with a pair of big victories on Sunday. Jax State raced past Lipscomb, 6-1, then downed Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College by the same score to wrap up a weekend full of tennis. Now, Trey Morris' squad is set to do battle with a couple of Southern Conference powers in the Yellowhammer State this weekend.
"We were naturally a little tired coming off three matches in two days," Morris said. "I'm proud of the way they responded after the front-side of last weekend. I feel we've carried that momentum from Sunday into training this week. They got right back after it on Tuesday, hitting the weight room and the training court hard. We're enthused for a couple more opportunities to defend the 'Ville this week at home."
The Red-and-White will hope for more success from a group with a solid mix of experience and youth on Saturday and Sunday. Three players- senior Vanja Dobnrjac, sophomore Matei Palcau, and freshman Marko Milosavljevic- are tied for the team's lead in singles wins with four. Meanwhile, Dobrnjac, Milosavljevic, Liam Day, Zach Murphy, and Lucius Soller each have four doubles wins to their credit early in the Spring 2024 campaign. To add more, however, they will have to come out on top against two strong programs.
"I want to see a group of guys that attack each moment with the same focus as when they attack the weekend as a whole," Morris said. "What I mean by that is, whether it be in training or pre-match practice, I want to see guys who give everything they've got for that hour-and-a-half. I want to see guys going into warmup with that eye of the tiger. We need consistency in focus, consistency of intensity, and consistency of trusting our own abilities. If we do those things, the opportunities to win are going to present themselves."
Furman (6-5), who won 11 games last year and advanced to the SoCon semifinals, has already posted some impressive wins, including non-conference victories over Army, Boston College, and Xavier. They also produced some good moments in competitive losses at No. 6 Tennessee, No. 69 Clemson, and Penn. The Paladins are in the midst of a seven-match road trip and fell 6-1 on the road in Clemson, S.C., on Thursday.
"Furman is always a good team," Morris said. "They have success on a pretty consistent basis and have been towards the top of the SoCon over the last couple decades. We know they're much improved from last year, but so are we. We're excited about that battle."
Last Spring, Chattanooga (4-6) finished 18-7 and collected their first regular season SoCon title. The Mocs bring back a plethora of talent from that team and have already been battle tested early on. They have played quality opponents across the board this Spring, falling to the likes of No. 17 Mississippi State, Northern Illinois, and UAB. They split results last week against the Blazers and Lipscomb, then cruised by Tennessee Southern 7-0 on Tuesday.
"They're the reigning SoCon champions for a reason," Morris said. "Coach Merzbacher has done a great job with their program over the last several years. We expect a team that knows how to win, and we know that they'll bring it. It'll be another war on Sunday."
Jax State fell just short of defeating Furman in the 2022-23 campaign, falling 4-3 in Greenville, S.C., last February. The Gamecocks and UTC last met up in Jan. 2022 in Jacksonville, when the Red-and-White posted a 4-3 win at the Jax State Tennis Courts.
Links to follow along with live stats for this weekend's matches will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks travel to Kennesaw State next Thursday for a road contest, then return home next weekend for matches against North Alabama on Saturday and Georgia Southern and Wallace State Community College on Sunday. Admission to all home matches at the Jax State Tennis Courts is free of charge.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
The Gamecocks (5-4) were knocked off by visiting Troy, 5-2, in their home opener last Saturday, but rebounded with a pair of big victories on Sunday. Jax State raced past Lipscomb, 6-1, then downed Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College by the same score to wrap up a weekend full of tennis. Now, Trey Morris' squad is set to do battle with a couple of Southern Conference powers in the Yellowhammer State this weekend.
"We were naturally a little tired coming off three matches in two days," Morris said. "I'm proud of the way they responded after the front-side of last weekend. I feel we've carried that momentum from Sunday into training this week. They got right back after it on Tuesday, hitting the weight room and the training court hard. We're enthused for a couple more opportunities to defend the 'Ville this week at home."
The Red-and-White will hope for more success from a group with a solid mix of experience and youth on Saturday and Sunday. Three players- senior Vanja Dobnrjac, sophomore Matei Palcau, and freshman Marko Milosavljevic- are tied for the team's lead in singles wins with four. Meanwhile, Dobrnjac, Milosavljevic, Liam Day, Zach Murphy, and Lucius Soller each have four doubles wins to their credit early in the Spring 2024 campaign. To add more, however, they will have to come out on top against two strong programs.
"I want to see a group of guys that attack each moment with the same focus as when they attack the weekend as a whole," Morris said. "What I mean by that is, whether it be in training or pre-match practice, I want to see guys who give everything they've got for that hour-and-a-half. I want to see guys going into warmup with that eye of the tiger. We need consistency in focus, consistency of intensity, and consistency of trusting our own abilities. If we do those things, the opportunities to win are going to present themselves."
Furman (6-5), who won 11 games last year and advanced to the SoCon semifinals, has already posted some impressive wins, including non-conference victories over Army, Boston College, and Xavier. They also produced some good moments in competitive losses at No. 6 Tennessee, No. 69 Clemson, and Penn. The Paladins are in the midst of a seven-match road trip and fell 6-1 on the road in Clemson, S.C., on Thursday.
"Furman is always a good team," Morris said. "They have success on a pretty consistent basis and have been towards the top of the SoCon over the last couple decades. We know they're much improved from last year, but so are we. We're excited about that battle."
Last Spring, Chattanooga (4-6) finished 18-7 and collected their first regular season SoCon title. The Mocs bring back a plethora of talent from that team and have already been battle tested early on. They have played quality opponents across the board this Spring, falling to the likes of No. 17 Mississippi State, Northern Illinois, and UAB. They split results last week against the Blazers and Lipscomb, then cruised by Tennessee Southern 7-0 on Tuesday.
"They're the reigning SoCon champions for a reason," Morris said. "Coach Merzbacher has done a great job with their program over the last several years. We expect a team that knows how to win, and we know that they'll bring it. It'll be another war on Sunday."
Jax State fell just short of defeating Furman in the 2022-23 campaign, falling 4-3 in Greenville, S.C., last February. The Gamecocks and UTC last met up in Jan. 2022 in Jacksonville, when the Red-and-White posted a 4-3 win at the Jax State Tennis Courts.
Links to follow along with live stats for this weekend's matches will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks travel to Kennesaw State next Thursday for a road contest, then return home next weekend for matches against North Alabama on Saturday and Georgia Southern and Wallace State Community College on Sunday. Admission to all home matches at the Jax State Tennis Courts is free of charge.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Sunday, May 17
Saturday, May 16
Wednesday, May 13
Sunday, May 10
