CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Following a 4-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team dropped No. 67 Louisiana-Lafayette 4-2 on Friday to advance to the championship match of the H-E-B Tournament of Champions.

The Jaguars (9-3) will take on Tulane (8-2) Saturday at noon at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Courts.

Senior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) and freshman Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) each went 2-0 on day one of the tournament. Junior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany), ranked No. 94, picked up his 10th-straight victory in the spring season.

"Today was huge for us," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "We got two really big wins. Overall, we had an awesome team performance."

Against the Ragin' Cajuns, Jacobs gave the Jags a 1-0 lead when he downed Edgar Lopez 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 3 spot. Hunter Johnson tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over sophomore Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) at No. 6 and Jake Wynan followed with another point for ULL when he topped junior Manuel Belda (Posadas, Misiones, Argentina) on the No. 2 court.

Vaezzadeh topped Damian Farinola 6-3, 6-0 in the No. 5 flight and sophomore Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) put USA up 3-2 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Jarred Wynan at No. 4.

"This evening, the atmosphere was like a conference final," said Brochu. "It was high-level tennis. Starting with singles, our guys stepped up and won four of the six first sets. From that point on we had the momentum. We played with composure and executed the game plan very well."

Leitner secured the match for South Alabama when he outlasted Rick de Groot 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the No. 1 spot.

"Emotions were high and Daniel kept his best tennis for the third set and gave us a big win," said Brochu.

Earlier in the day, USA swept host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to advance to the semifinals.

The Jaguars took the doubles point and a 1-0 lead after Vaezzadeh and Troglia defeated Philip Kuehnen and Pietro Jordao 8-2 in the No. 3 flight. Leitner and Jacobs edged Matt Westmoreland and Paul Cook 8-5 at No. 2.

"This morning was hard because we played the home team, who practices every day in those crazy, windy conditions," said Brochu. "We played aggressive doubles and solid singles."

Belda added a point for South Alabama with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ricardo Mayagoitia on the No. 2 court. Jacobs followed with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Guillaume Rauseo at the No. 3 spot.

Vaezzadeh clinched the match for the Jags when he dropped Westmoreland 6-3, 6-1 at No. 5.

"Our senior Shayann stepped up big and gave us a huge win," said Brochu.

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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