Saturday, March 9
Hattiesburg, MS
2 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
at
Southern Miss
Men's Tennis Meets Southern Miss Saturday
3/8/2024 10:18:00 AM | Men's Tennis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Gamecock men's tennis hopes to right the ship a bit this weekend as they get set for a key showdown on the road. They play at Southern Miss at 2 p.m. Saturday in a big pairing between two strong southeastern programs.
"We're looking for our guys to be relentless in their energy, effort, and enthusiasm towards the sport," head coach Trey Morris said. "I'd like to see them lock in and bring that focus point-in and point-out this weekend. If we can do that going into this weekend's match, it's going to afford us a lot of success."
Jacksonville State (8-6) won four in a row from Feb. 18-25 but have since lost two of their last three matches. After falling in a heartbreaker at Kennesaw State on Feb. 29, the Red-and-White responded in a big way with a 6-1 drubbing of in-state rival North Alabama two days later. Unfortunately, they could not catch some breaks late in Monday's 4-3 home loss to Georgia Southern. It will not get much easier, however, as they face a quality opponent away from home on Saturday.
Experienced performers Vanja Dobrnjac and Xavier Sarda Marti lead the team with eight singles wins each, but Marko Milosavljevic (seven), Liam Day (six), and Matei Palcau (six) narrowly trail their one-on-one efforts. Dorbnjac's seven doubles results are also the most for the Gamecocks and are slightly ahead of the freshman tandem of Milosavljevic and Zach Murphy which has gone 6-4 so far.
Southern Miss (3-2) has looked good in limited action this Spring. The Golden Eagles went just 8-15 last year, finishing 1-6 in Sun Belt play before bowing out in the second round of the SBC Tournament. They opened the 2024 campaign with tough losses at UAB and Samford but have since won three in a row against the likes of New Orleans, Jackson State, and Alcorn State. In their last match at the Southern Miss Tennis Complex last Saturday, USM cruised by Alcorn State, 6-1.
"We were able to see their team a good amount in the Fall," Morris said of Southern Miss. "They have a ton of quality sprinkled throughout their lineup from top to bottom. They're capable of beating many teams in the country, so we expect a fight. It's going to be a very tough outing and we'll have to bring it."
The Gamecocks are 7-3 all-time versus the Golden Eagles. Last Spring, Jax State picked up a 5-2 win over them at the Jax State Tennis Courts.
Fans unable to attend can follow along with the live stats links for this weekend's match at JaxStateSports.com.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
"We're looking for our guys to be relentless in their energy, effort, and enthusiasm towards the sport," head coach Trey Morris said. "I'd like to see them lock in and bring that focus point-in and point-out this weekend. If we can do that going into this weekend's match, it's going to afford us a lot of success."
Jacksonville State (8-6) won four in a row from Feb. 18-25 but have since lost two of their last three matches. After falling in a heartbreaker at Kennesaw State on Feb. 29, the Red-and-White responded in a big way with a 6-1 drubbing of in-state rival North Alabama two days later. Unfortunately, they could not catch some breaks late in Monday's 4-3 home loss to Georgia Southern. It will not get much easier, however, as they face a quality opponent away from home on Saturday.
Experienced performers Vanja Dobrnjac and Xavier Sarda Marti lead the team with eight singles wins each, but Marko Milosavljevic (seven), Liam Day (six), and Matei Palcau (six) narrowly trail their one-on-one efforts. Dorbnjac's seven doubles results are also the most for the Gamecocks and are slightly ahead of the freshman tandem of Milosavljevic and Zach Murphy which has gone 6-4 so far.
Southern Miss (3-2) has looked good in limited action this Spring. The Golden Eagles went just 8-15 last year, finishing 1-6 in Sun Belt play before bowing out in the second round of the SBC Tournament. They opened the 2024 campaign with tough losses at UAB and Samford but have since won three in a row against the likes of New Orleans, Jackson State, and Alcorn State. In their last match at the Southern Miss Tennis Complex last Saturday, USM cruised by Alcorn State, 6-1.
"We were able to see their team a good amount in the Fall," Morris said of Southern Miss. "They have a ton of quality sprinkled throughout their lineup from top to bottom. They're capable of beating many teams in the country, so we expect a fight. It's going to be a very tough outing and we'll have to bring it."
The Gamecocks are 7-3 all-time versus the Golden Eagles. Last Spring, Jax State picked up a 5-2 win over them at the Jax State Tennis Courts.
Fans unable to attend can follow along with the live stats links for this weekend's match at JaxStateSports.com.
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
/ Men's Tennis
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