FAMU Results

Furman Results

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – University of South Alabama juniors Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) and Manuel Belda (Posadas, Misiones, Argentina) each went undefeated and led the men's tennis team to a 1-1 start Saturday at the Seminole Quad Tournament.

Leitner and Belda were both 2-0 on the day as the Jaguars defeated Florida A&M 4-2, but fell 4-3 to Furman after dropping the doubles point tiebreaker.

Leitner picked up the first point for the Jags in the victory over the Rattlers with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Zack Evenden at the No. 1 spot. Senior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) gave South Alabama a two-point lead after downing Jason Ulacio 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3.

"Florida A&M is an explosive team and we knew playing indoors could be dangerous," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "The guys responded well and showed a lot of energy on the court. We were able to get two quick wins to give us the momentum."

Carlos Waitman put the Rattlers on the board with a 6-0, 6-2 win over sophomore Sean Robinson (Diamondhead, Miss.) in the No. 6 flight. Sophomore Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) fell 6-4, 6-4 to Rodney Carey at the No. 2 spot to even the score at 2-2.

Sophomore Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) topped Admire Mushonga 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5 and Belda outlasted Courage Okungbowa 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 at the No. 4 position to secure the win for USA.

"Manuel and Juan both played excellent tennis to give us the last two points of the match," said Brochu.

Later in the day, the Jaguars fell 4-3 to the Paladins. With the match tied at 3-3, Furman took the doubles point and the win over South Alabama.
    
Joel Cook and Alex Christ defeated Belda and Gruindelingh 6-4 at No. 1, then Ben Horst and Matt Browne won 6-3 over Vaezzadeh and Troglia at the No. 3 spot to clinch the match.

"Unfortunately, some of our guys were flat and under-performed," said Brochu. "With singles tied at 3-3 we moved to doubles. The atmosphere on all three courts was awesome. We made a crucial error at No. 1, which cost us. We blew the lead at No. 3 and lost the match."

Leitner again claimed the first singles point for USA with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Christ in the No. 1 flight. Juan Sheppard dropped Troglia 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6 and Adam Steryous defeated Gruindelingh 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 3 spot.

"Coming back for the second match of the day we knew we would have to dig deep," said Brochu. "Daniel was able to quickly put us on the board by dominating his opponent, dropping only two games."

Freshman Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) picked up his first collegiate win as a Jaguar with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over Browne in the No. 2 flight.

Jacob Behal edged Vaezzadeh 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4, while Belda tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win over Luke Synn.

"We have to rest and get back on the court tomorrow morning for a new start," said Brochu.

The Jaguars are back in action Sunday at 10 a.m. as they take on Florida State.

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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