MOBILE, Ala. – Looking to add to their three-match win streak, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team will host North Florida, Mercer and Jacksonville State this weekend at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Jaguars will take on the Ospreys Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and host the Bears and the Gamecocks in a doubleheader on Friday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

"I think we will be fine having three matches in two days," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "The guys are in shape and we have done this before. We start with a really tough match against North Florida, so we have to get ready and hopefully it's going to be a great match."

South Alabama enters the matches with a 4-2 mark in their spring campaign. Before taking nearly a two-week break, the Jags hosted Jackson State and Alabama State and won both matches 6-1. Junior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) leads USA with an undefeated record of 5-0 in his spring campaign. Including Leitner, four Jaguars possess a three-match win streak or better.

"I think some time off definitely helps," said Brochu. "We had some guys with injuries so they worked in the training room a lot and almost got back to 100 percent, so that was really good. At the same time, we got to work more on doubles and finding the right pairs and just tuning up some little things."

North Florida leads the all-time series with South Alabama 5-2. The two teams met last March in Jacksonville, Fla. and the Ospreys topped the Jaguars 5-2. UNF holds a 1-4 record this spring, with their only win coming from a 4-1 victory over Florida A&M. North Florida enters the match Thursday with a three-match losing streak.

"North Florida is a tough team," said Brochu. "They have beaten us the past three years. It has always been a very close match. We're really looking forward to that match. UNF is always known for being really solid in doubles so the doubles point is going to be crucial. We've been practicing a lot of doubles because that point really sets the tone for the rest of the match. In singles, I think we have to make sure the rallies are long. They have big hitters and very explosive players so if we can keep the ball in play, I think it will be to our advantage."

Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bears and the Jaguars. Mercer is 3-7 in their spring campaign and are 0-4 against ranked opponents this season. MU has won their last two matches over Alabama State and Davidson. Austin Emmet leads the Bears with a four-match win streak at Nos. 4 and 5 and a 5-4 record overall.

Jacksonville State is 0-2 in their spring season with losses to No. 28 Auburn and Southern Miss. The Jaguars lead the all-time series with the Gamecocks 1-0, winning the 2000 matchup 7-0.

"Friday's matches are also going to be good," said Brochu. "Since we are playing a doubleheader, we're going to have to make sure we finish the early match as soon as possible. We are the favorite so we want to make sure we go in there and are very aggressive. We need to take care of business quick because we don't want to be out there for more time than we need to be."

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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