MOBILE, Ala. – Hitting the road, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team travels to Texas to face two ranked opponents this weekend.

The Jaguars will take on No. 69 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday (10 a.m.) and No. 72 Texas-San Antonio Sunday (11 a.m.).

"This week is two great opportunities to go out confident and improve our ranking," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "Both teams we face this weekend have a similar ranking to us, so there's no pressure. We just need to relax and go do it."

South Alabama, ranked No. 60 in the nation, enters the weekend with an 8-4 record overall, after a 6-1 victory over Southern Illinois on Tuesday. The Jags swept doubles and took four singles matches in straight sets over the Salukis.

Senior Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) leads the team with a 10-2 mark at the top two spots. The 75th-ranked Leitner owns a nine-match win streak and is 2-0 against ranked opponents. Leitner and junior Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa), ranked No. 61 in doubles, post a 5-0 mark in the No. 1 flight.

Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between the Jaguars and the Islanders. USA leads the all-time series with TAMCC 2-1, including their 4-0 win last season during the H-E-B Tournament of Champions. The Islanders are currently 8-3 overall, with a 6-0 record in home matches.

Peter Nagy leads TAMCC with an 8-1 mark in his spring campaign at the No. 1 spot. Nagy, ranked No. 73, owns a three-match win streak, including a 6-1, 6-1 victory over No. 29 Naoki Takeda of Arizona.

USA and UTSA will face off for the fourth time in school history on Sunday. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series 2-1, but the Jaguars took last year's match 4-2 in Mobile. Texas-San Antonio is 8-5 overall this spring and have won their past three matches.

Tomas Stillman, ranked No. 77, owns an 11-2 mark in the No. 1 flight with a nine-match win streak, but is 0-2 against ranked opponents. Doubles have proven to be a strength for the Roadrunners as they post a 20-10 mark overall.

"We have learned a lot from our recent losses and I think some guys are ready to step it up," said Brochu. "We beat both teams last year, so I know they have been looking forward to playing us again. It's our job to make sure we get similar results to last year."

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—