MOBILE, Ala. – Looking to rebound from their most recent loss, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team will host Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State this week at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Jaguars will face Eastern Kentucky Tuesday at 2 p.m. and Illinois State Thursday at 10 a.m.

South Alabama enters the week with a 10-5 record overall after going 1-1 over Spring Break. USA swept doubles to take a 5-2 victory over Stetson March 5, but fell 7-0 to 45th-ranked South Florida on March 7.

"We had a small break after the H-E-B Invitational before we went to Florida to play two big teams," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "Stetson was a great match. The guys played really aggressive. A 5-2 win against them is a great win, especially at their place. Then a couple of days later we played South Florida. They're a great team, and they are in the top 50 in the nation for a reason. I was disappointed with the result because for a while we were winning on four courts in singles, and if we had kept it that way we could have come away with a big upset. South Florida just played the big points better than us."

Junior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany), ranked No. 94, posted a 1-1 mark last week at No. 1 singles and leads the team with an 11-2 record overall. Senior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) is 10-4 at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 and has won nine matches in straight sets.

"We are very lucky to have Daniel and Shayann," said Brochu. "They have been very solid for us. Whenever they win, they win quick. They get us on the board really early and they give us a lot of confidence. Those two guys have been practicing and playing so hard this year and it's paying off. I'm very happy for them."

Tuesday will mark the first-ever meeting between South Alabama and Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels are 6-5 this spring after falling 5-2 to Jacksonville State on Sunday. EKU is 0-4 on the road this season. Daridhe Saidi leads Eastern Kentucky with a 6-5 record in the Nos. 2 and 3 flights.

USA and ISU are tied 1-1 in the all-time series. The Redbirds topped the Jaguars 5-2 when the two teams faced off in 2010. Illinois State is 5-5 overall and looking to snap a two-match losing streak after falling 7-0 to both Louisville and Indiana last week.

"Both Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are indoor teams," said Brochu. "We have to make sure to play a lot, make them rally and make them run. They're just starting their outdoor seasons. I'm expecting a lot of big serves and big hitters from them. Indoor teams like to finish a point really quickly, so we're going to have to make everything longer. We're looking forward to those two matches."

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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