MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's tennis team will commence their 2015 campaign this Saturday at the Seminole Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla.
This weekend marks the fourth consecutive year that the Jaguars have opened their spring season in Tallahassee.
"We are starting the season early this year, which only gave us one week to practice, but all the other teams in the tournament are in the same situation," said USA head coach Nick Brochu.
Teams included in the Seminole Tournament are No. 35 Florida State, No. 70 Central Florida, Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 72 North Florida, Furman, No. 71 St. John's and Denver. All matches are scheduled to be held at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center. South Alabama will open against Florida State.
FSU leads the all-time series with USA 14-6 and has won seven in a row, all while ranked No. 44 or higher. When the two teams met last season, the 36th-ranked Seminoles topped the Jaguars 5-2.
Florida State is led by Marco Nunez, who is 99th in the preseason ITA singles rankings and is No. 24 in doubles with partner Benjamin Lock. Nunez and Lock have a 7-2 fall record and advanced to the USTA/ITA National Collegiate Indoor Championships.
USA senior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) enters the weekend ranked No. 113 by the ITA in singles after posting a 9-1 record in the fall. Last season at FSU he won in three sets (6-3, 2-6, 6-4) at No. 1 over Lock.
"The guys are excited about starting the season," said Brochu. "They know in order to win the Sun Belt Conference in April, strong preparation starts now. The guys are hungry and can't wait to compete again. This tournament is a great opportunity for us and it could set the pace for the rest of the season."
Tournament play begins Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m.
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).
—USA—
