MOBILE, Ala. – In a Sun Belt Conference matchup, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team will play host to Troy on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

USA leads the all-time series with Troy 10-1. South Alabama has won the last seven matches, including a 4-3 victory last season.

The Jaguars, ranked No. 47 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, enters the match with a 6-2 mark in their spring campaign. USA has had a two-week break following their 7-0 victory over Alabama State on Feb. 10.

"It was nice to have a little break," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "We played a lot in the first half of the season, so we have tried to heal some injuries during our time off. We've worked more on different doubles combinations. We have also worked on some individual strategies. Everyone has a different style of play."

Troy is currently 10-5 overall and 5-4 in road matches. The Trojans are also 0-4 against ranked opponents. Tennessee, ranked No. 20, snapped Troy's five-match win streak on Monday.

Hassan Ndayishimye leads the Trojans with an 11-3 record at the top three spots, including an 8-1 mark at No. 2. Ndayishimye teams up with Gabriel Dias to go 3-1 in the No. 2 flight.

"Troy is a team that can easily compete and upset ranked teams," said Brochu. "We are excited and proud about our new ranking, but it's still the first half of the season. We still have the second half of the season. It's hard to earn a ranking, but it's really easy to lose it. Troy has been playing very close matches with ranked teams. It's going to come down to matchups. They are dangerous and it's going to be a big battle at all six positions."

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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