MOBILE, Ala. – Following a successful 2-0 start, the University of South Alabama women's tennis team will host Mercer and Jacksonville State in a doubleheader Friday at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Jaguars will take on the Bears at 9 a.m. and the Gamecocks at 2 p.m.

"Having nearly two weeks off has been somewhat of a challenge with the bad weather and trying to find time to practice, but it has helped us," said USA head coach Jaco Keyser. "We got to spend a lot of time working on our fitness and fine tuning some game plans."

South Alabama opened its spring season with matches against Jackson State and Alabama State and did not drop a set in singles or doubles.

Junior Mary Angela Martin (Mobile, Ala.) and freshman Monica Mitta (Fairhope, Ala.) have both only dropped one set this season. Martin holds a six-match win streak, carrying over from the fall.

"We did some really good things the first weekend and we need to build off of that," said Keyser. "The matches Friday will be a little tougher because we're going to be tested in quite a few spots. It's going to be interesting to see how we handle those situations."

Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Jaguars and the Bears. Mercer enters the match with a 1-2 overall record, coming off a 7-0 loss to Georgia State Monday.

South Alabama leads the all-time series with Jacksonville State 2-0. The two teams met last February when the Jaguars downed the Gamecocks 7-0. JSU is 1-1 in their spring campaign after picking up a 7-0 victory over William Carey, but falling 7-0 to No. 35 Ole Miss.

"We haven't really played either team in the past few years, but I know they are going to be a big step up in competition compared to our first weekend," said Keyer. "After this weekend we should have a pretty good idea of where we stand."

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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