MOBILE, Ala. – The No. 71 University of South Alabama men's tennis team had their five-match win streak snapped by Southern Miss 4-1 at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts on Saturday.
USA's spring campaign is now 5-2, while Southern Miss improves their record to 4-2 for the season.
"Southern Miss played very well. They came out and were very hungry, were loud and they just kept coming at us on every single position," USA head coach Nick Brochu said. "Even if we won the first set, or if we broke back into the match they just came back stronger every time. On our side, it wasn't a good day for us. We didn't execute very well, couldn't put the ball away and missed finishing the point, like we usually do."
In the No. 2 slot for doubles, Daniel Merker and Tarun Surat edged senior Tim Srkala (Brno, Czech Republic) and junior Pierre Noyon (Oye-Plage, France) with a 6-3 score. Senior Gerhard Gruindelingh (Pretoria, South Africa) paired up with sophomore Olivier Gingras (Quebec, Canada) and fell 6-3 to Wen-Po Tseng and Chao-Yu Huang at No. 1 to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.
"We talked before the match and the team knew the doubles point was really important. Last year, we played them twice and both matches were very close, so we knew the doubles point was crucial today," Brochu said. "Doubles weren't bad, but as soon as Southern Miss elevated their level, we didn't and that was a big mistake. It's almost like we were stuck in second gear and they were in fourth. Now, with the new format you play up to six and if you get behind it's hard to catch up."
In singles action, Merker claimed a victory over freshman Lucas Gonzalez (Chateauroux, France) 6-1, 6-3 on the No. 5 court. Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) fell to Surat with a score of 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1.
Srkala gave the Jags their only point defeating Huang 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 at No. 2, but in the No. 4 flight, Jorman Reyes won 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 over Noyon.
"In singles, it was an up-and-down match. We got on top, they came back, and then we got on top and tried to fight back," Brochu commented. "They were tougher in the games than we were and that's what made the difference."
"We were pumped and the guys were trying to fight hard, we fought back when we got down, sets were close, but we were missing a lot today. It was a hard day for us," Brochu said. "Our guys kept pushing, but at the end of the day if your opponents are having a good day and you're having a bad day, then there's not much you can do. We have to meet and talk because today was just bad execution, and tomorrow we have to turn it on."
South Alabama will take on Nicholls State at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, returning at 1:30 p.m. to face Mercer.
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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