Results

DENTON, Texas – After losing the doubles point, Middle Tennessee won four singles matches in straight sets to claim the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Tennis Championship 4-1 over the University of South Alabama Sunday morning at the Waranch Tennis Complex.

MTSU wins the SBC title for the second year in a row over USA and enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 19-7. The Jags drop to 17-7.

“The day started well for us, but we could not close it,” Jaguars head coach Nick Brochu said. “We knew it be a tough fight, and we wanted to get the doubles point. We played focused and disciplined doubles, sticking to the strategies and targets.

“We felt good going into singles, but MTSU came out storming. They took the early lead and I think some of our guys lost their rhythm and confidence. MTSU kept playing aggressively and some of us could not keep up. I have to give credit to MTSU today. They played very hard.”

All of Middle Tennessee’s singles wins came at the top four flights. Christoph Lang evened the match at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 3 over freshman Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany).

MTSU won a pair of matches within minutes of each other to push its advantage to 3-1. Ettore Zito defeated junior Cody Hall (Albuquerque, N.M.) 6-4, 6-1 on the No. 4 court and Matt Langley, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 2 over junior Alex Bernard (Soisy Sur Seine, France).

On the No. 1 court, Ben Davis lost just three games to defeat senior Romain Bocaert (Lille, France) 6-0, 6-3 and give MTSU the title.

The Jags’ strong play in doubles gave them an early 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of 8-5 wins. Leitner and Hall never trailed at No. 3 and Bocaert and Bernard rallied from an early 2-1 deficit on the No. 1 court.

“On our side, I think we didn't have the usual spark and energy,” Brochu said. “Battling for four hours yesterday in the semis took a lot out of us. We fought hard today, but our legs were heavy.

“It is hard to finish second, but I told my guys to look at everything we have accomplished this year. The future is promising. It was a pleasure to have coached my four seniors. I'm proud of them and everything they did for our program.”

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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