MOBILE, Ala. – The 58th-ranked University of South Alabama men’s tennis team will face Nicholls State and Winthrop this weekend at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.
The Jaguars take on Nicholls Thursday at 1 p.m. and Winthrop Saturday at 10 a.m.
South Alabama enters the weekend with a 6-7 record in their spring campaign after going 2-1 at the H-E-B Tournament of Champions. USA fell 4-2 to Texas-San Antonio, but rebounded with a 4-1 win over DePaul and topped 30th-ranked BYU 4-1. The Jaguars faced Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday and lost 4-0.
“I was disappointed with the first match this weekend,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “I thought we took Texas-San Antonio too lightly and some guys just didn’t step up the way they should have. We really bounced back for the following matches. The match against BYU was great. The guys competed so hard and we knew that if we won the doubles point they would be devastated because they haven’t lost a doubles point all year. We knew that if we beat them at what they’re the best at it would really be hard for them to recover and that worked perfect for us.”
Freshman Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) posted a 4-0 mark last week at No. 3 singles with wins over New Orleans, UTSA, DePaul and BYU. Three of his four wins were in straight sets. Gerhard currently possesses a five-match win streak.
“I think the freshmen are playing better every match,” said Brochu. “Gerhard has definitely stepped up. For a freshman to win all three matches at No. 3 in straight sets and clinching the win against a team that is in the top 30 in the nation is incredible. He stayed really focused and performed so well.”
USA leads the all-time series with NSU 5-1. The Jaguars topped the Colonels 5-2 when the two teams faced off last season. Nicholls State is 7-6 overall and won their last match 4-0 over Alabama State Sunday. Dmitry Kozionov leads the Colonels with a 9-3 record at the top two spots. Kozionov has won all nine matches in straight sets and currently holds a six-match win streak.
“We play Nicholls every year,” said Brochu. “We have to make sure we have a really strong start and get the doubles point. We don’t want to give them any confidence or hope. The beginning of the match is going to be crucial.”
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between South Alabama and Winthrop. The Eagles are 3-7 overall after falling 4-3 to South Carolina State last Friday. WU currently has a three-match losing streak. Dylan Comerford leads Winthrop with a 4-5 record in the top two spots.
“We’ve never played Winthrop,” said Brochu. “We’ve seen them in tournaments and know that they like to play long matches so we’re anticipating a long match on Saturday. I think playing at home you’re a lot more relaxed and rested so it’s going to play to our advantage.”
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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