MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's tennis team will travel to Des Moines, Iowa this weekend to take on Missouri-Kansas City and Drake at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
USA will face UMKC Saturday at 3 p.m. and Drake Sunday at 10 a.m.
The Jaguars enter the weekend with a 3-2 mark in their spring campaign. South Alabama blanked Jacksonville State after sweeping doubles and picking up five singles matches in straight sets on Jan. 29.
"Jacksonville State was a good win," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "They are a good team, and it's one of those matches where it could have been easy to slow down and make it close. The guys made sure that we were all on the same page, as far as wanting to play very fast and aggressively to get the win."
Junior Tim Srkala (Brno, Czech Republic) leads the team with a 4-1 record in the top three spots, including a four-match win streak. Senior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany), ranked No. 113 in the nation, follows with a 3-2 mark at the Nos. 1 and 2 flights.
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Jaguars and the Kangaroos. UMKC posts a 3-1 record this spring and picked up their most recent victory over Weber State 4-3 last Saturday. Mike Psarros leads the 'Roos with a 3-1 mark at Nos. 3 and 4.
"We scheduled Missouri-Kansas City first this weekend to get used to playing indoors," said Brochu. "I think this match will be a good test for our guys and good preparation for our match against Drake."
South Alabama will also face Drake for the first time on Sunday. The 41st-ranked Bulldogs are 5-1 in their spring campaign, including three victories over opponents ranked in the top 60. Drake opened their season with a three-match win streak. The Bulldogs boast two top-50 players at the top two flights with No. 46 Alen Salibasic and No. 30 Ben Lott.
"Drake is a very good and aggressive indoor team," said Brochu. "I think the doubles point will be extremely important. As far as singles go, obviously their guys are very used to playing indoors. We actually have players that are pretty good indoors, even though we don't have indoor courts here. I think our guys are excited to try playing in a different environment."
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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