MOBILE, Ala. – In a Sun Belt Conference matchup, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team travels to Troy to take on the Trojans Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.

USA leads the all-time series with Troy 9-1. South Alabama has won the last six matches and defeated the Trojans twice during the 2013 season.

"We haven't seen Troy in a while, but they're a good conference rival," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "We have to make sure that we go there and play really strong. They're rebuilding their team, but Troy is always excited to play South Alabama in any sport, so I'm sure they're going to play their best tennis."

Despite splitting two matches last week, the Jaguars enter the match with an 11-6 overall mark. USA is 2-3 in matches on the road. South Alabama took a 5-2 win over Illinois State last Thursday, but fell 4-2 to No. 66 Tulane last Saturday.

"I thought we had a great start against Illinois State," said Brochu. "I think we got a little too comfortable and let them come back, but then we closed the match. That was a good win at home. The match against Tulane was a battle. They played really well and they're a good team. It was a great fight. Tulane got the doubles point, which we knew would be really crucial. We came close, but it wasn't enough. It was still a good weekend for us."

Freshman Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) helped propel the Jags to their winning record with an 11-5 record in the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 flights. Jacobs also claimed the Sun Belt Men's Tennis Player of the Week on Wednesday after an undefeated week in singles.

"Tuki is playing great," said Brochu. "He has been progressing very well. We have been working a lot on deciding which shot he is going to hit and at the same time always being strong mentally. Everyone has their ups and downs, you just have to make sure you don't panic and stay calm. Tuki has been doing a much better job with that."

Troy is currently 4-11 overall, but possess a 3-0 mark in home matches. The Trojans picked up a 4-1 win over Bradley on Wednesday after sweeping doubles and winning three singles matches in straight sets. Sami Ghorbel leads Troy with a 7-5 record at the top three spots.

"Doubles is going to be very important against Troy," said Brochu. "We want to make sure we set the tone from the beginning. If you let them get excited, you will face a different team. We want to get the doubles point and have a strong start in singles."

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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