Results

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The University of South Alabama men's tennis team came back from an early deficit in doubles to defeat Florida Atlantic Monday afternoon at Patch Reef Park.

The victory extends the Jaguars' win streak to four and improves their record to 12-7 on the season. The Owls fall to 8-8.

"Today was a great win for us," USA head coach Nick Brochu said. "This season has been hard for us on the road. Beating a good FAU team in Boca gives us a good boost of confidence. Not only that we won, but how decisive we won feels great. Even after clinching the win 4-1, we worked hard to win the last two matches.

"We showed a lot of character today. We have been training hard off the court every morning at 6 a.m. and it showed today. The guys are getting tougher.'

After dropping a 6-3 decision at No. 3, the Jaguars rebounded for wins at the top two flights to earn the doubles point. Senior Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) and sophomore Olivier Gingras (Quebec, Canada) defeated Gerald Nickerson and Jaoa Gauer 6-4 at No. 1, and seniors Tim Srkala (Brno, Czech Republic) and Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) edged Alexander Gitin and Anthony Schohn 7-5 on the No. 2 court.

"We controlled the match from the beginning till the end," Brochu said. "Doubles was a big point for us. It gave us the momentum and we never looked back after that. I'm very proud of the guys today."

Srkala quickly put the Jags up 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Gauer at No. 2, but Schohn halved the margin, topping Gingras 6-3, 6-4 on court 4.

USA closed out the match with four straight wins, starting with freshman Lucas Gonzalez (Chateauroux, France) downing Ignacio Jimenez 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6. Junior Pierre Noyon (Oye-Plage, France) followed with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Gitin, and Troglia rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Acob on court 3.

"One of the stars today was Juan," Brochu said. "Even after losing the first set, he never stopped fighting and came back to win in three sets. The match could have turned in FAU's favor if he would have lost the second set. He never gave up and showed what being a senior is all about."

Junior Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) finished up play at No. 1, outlasting Chancerel 6-4, 6-7 (12-14), (10-4).

The Jaguars will take a break before participating in the MT Shootout March 25-27.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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