Mercer Results

Jacksonville State Results

MOBILE, Ala. – Three Jaguars went undefeated to lead the University of South Alabama men's tennis team in victories over Mercer and Jacksonville State Friday at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

Juniors Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) and Manuel Belda (Posadas, Misiones, Argentina) and freshman Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) each posted a 2-0 record in singles at the top three spots.

South Alabama (6-3) defeated Mercer 6-1, followed by a 4-3 victory over Jacksonville State.

"Having two matches today and also being the favorite at home, our goal was to be very energetic on the court," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "We had to go out there and have a really big start and that's exactly what we did."

Leitner and sophomore Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) put the Jaguars on the board when they blanked Arnav Mohanty and Joao Pagan at No. 2. Belda and sophomore Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) quickly followed with a 6-0 win over Oliver Snaider and Austin Emmit on the No. 1 court.

"We showed so much energy in doubles and the guys were so aggressive," said Brochu. "We won the doubles point without even losing a game at the top two spots. That was awesome and gave us a lot of momentum that we carried over to singles."

In singles action, Belda gave the Jags a 2-0 lead when he downed Mohanty 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 2 flight. No. 117
Leitner defeated Snaider 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1.

"Manuel really set the tone for us in singles playing at No. 2," said Brochu. "He was extremely aggressive, very positive and very loud. Winning 6-0, 6-0 really quickly and putting us on the board was awesome. I think everyone fed off of his energy. He was a great leader on the court."

Jacobs clinched the match for USA after rallying back to outlast Anderson Scarpa 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 3 spot.

Senior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) topped Emmit 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 4. Manuel De Luis picked up the only point for the Bears with a 6-5 (7-5), 6-1 win over Gruindelingh on the No. 5 court. Troglia edged Pagan 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 6 flight.

The Jaguars took the doubles point over the Gamecocks with a pair of 6-4 victories at Nos. 1 and 2. Belda and Gruindelingh teamed up to take down Pedro Wagner and Jeff Wendler-Filho, followed by Leitner and Vaezzadeh's win over Jaryd Reese and Felipe Wenzel. Dylan Gee and Mathias Chaim knocked off Troglia and Robinson 6-5 (9-7) at the No. 3 spot.

"We approached the match against Jacksonville the same way we did this morning against Mercer, but unfortunately we didn't have the same energy in doubles," said Brochu. "It got a little close. We won the doubles point, but it wasn't dominating at all."

South Alabama won three singles matches in straight sets to secure the match. Jacobs gave the Jaguars a 2-0 lead when he downed Chaim 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3. Leitner defeated Wagner 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 1 spot to extend his win streak to eight.

"It was good to see Tuki bounce back after the loss he had yesterday," said Brochu. "It wasn't a bad loss, but it was a tough loss. Bouncing back after a three-set loss yesterday and playing very assertive, dictating the point with his forehand was great to see. Daniel is still on a roll. It doesn't matter if you play a ranked team or not, their No. 1 player is always excellent. He has been so solid for us and that's really going to help us throughout the rest of the season."

Belda claimed the last point for the Jags with his 6-4, 6-3 win over Reese on the No. 2 court.

The Gamecocks took the next three points to close out the match. Wendler-Filho outlasted Gruindelingh 6-3, 2-6, 6-5 (7-2) at No. 4. Sophomore Quincy Olij (Alkmaar, Netherlands) fell 6-3, 6-0 to Wenzel in the No. 6 flight and Vaezzadeh lost 6-4, 6-3 to Gee at the No. 5 spot.

"The top guys did an excellent job of getting on the board, but then at the bottom positions we just played a little too safe and passive," said Brochu. "I'm not very happy with the way we played this afternoon, especially the bottom of the lineup. We really have to work harder now because the matches are just going to continue to get tougher."

The Jaguars are back in action Wednesday Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. as they host Southern Miss.

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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