HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Excellence in singles action helped Jacksonville State's men's tennis team roll to a 4-3 comeback victory at Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks were thumped in doubles play but recovered well in one-on-one action, eventually clinching the match at No. 6 singles via a three-setter from Liam Day. 
 
"We didn't play a great doubles point, but this group has established themselves as a team that stays with it and continues to focus," head coach Trey Morris said. "When you do that and you have quality, eventually you'll catch a break. 
 
"This is a good Southern Miss team," Morris added. "It's a good win for our boys and something we'll take confidence from and build on into next week."
 
USM (4-3) cruised by Jax State (9-6) in doubles. Though the freshman duo of Marko Milosavljevic and Zach Murphy were leading in the top flight, a pair of 6-3 defeats in the remaining two courts handed the Golden Eagles the opening point. 
 
The Red-and-White came ready to play when singles play started. Vanja Dorbnjac (7-5, 6-2), Alin Fatu (7-5, 6-2), and Xavier Sarda Marti (6-4, 6-0) tallied dominant wins in the top three showdowns to put Jacksonville State on top, then a come-from-behind three-set triumph on court six by Day clinched it. The Francis Marion transfer downed Olle Noltorp of Southern Miss 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), thanks to a pair of tiebreak victories to clinch a back-and-forth match. 
 
Jax State returns home this weekend to host a pair of strong opponents on Friday. They will meet The Citadel at the Jax State Tennis Courts at 9 a.m., then play host to Ivy League power Dartmouth at 3 p.m. Admission is free, and fans unable to attend can follow along with live stats links provided at JaxStateSports.com.
 
"It feels a lot better going to clean some things up after a win than it does after a loss," Morris said. "I'm proud of these guys. This was a heck of a college tennis match. We're excited for this next week of training ahead of a great opportunity at home against The Citadel and Dartmouth on Friday."
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.