MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama No. 44 men's tennis team (21-5) shut out conference and intrastate foe Troy (10-10) on senior day at David Lubel Memorial Courts on Thursday afternoon.
 
"I think the team was in every single match," said South Alabama head coach Nick Brochu. "We came close to winning on some courts. Troy came back, but all of a sudden we turned it around. There wasn't a guy who would turn around and flinch, so it was a good feeling that we were competitive on every single court."
 
The Jaguars earned the doubles point with wins on the top two courts. Senior Juan Cruz Soria (San Juan, Argentina) and freshman Loic Cloes (Remicourt, Belgium) on court No. 1 defeated Hassan Ndayishimiye and Pablo Moreno 6-3. The Trojans tied it up when Andy Lau and Filip Mansson topped junior Olivier Gingras (Quebec City, Quebec, Candada) and senior Pierre Noyon (Oye-Plage, France) on court No. 3. The doubles point was won when senior Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) and sophomore Lucas Gonzalez (Chateauroux, France) beat Andre Baldo and Mustapha Belcora 6-3 on court No. 2
 
Noyon earned the first singles point for South Alabama when he won 6-2, 6-4 over Amer Bedwan on court No. 5. No. 98 Jacobs then defeated Ndayishimiye 7-5, 6-4 on court No. 1.
 
"Tuki, our senior captain, played his last match here at South Alabama," said Brochu. "He was down 4-0 in the first set, but came back to win a big first set and then get a big point for him and us."
 
Gonzalez ended the match with his 7-5, 7-5 victory over Jaiqi Duan on court No. 6.
 
Soria was tied at 6-6 in his second set with Moreno on court No. 2 after winning the first 6-4. Gingras and Lau were beginning a third set (7-5, 4-6) on court No. 3, and Cloes and Belcora were tied in a third set on court No. 4, 6-3, 4-6, 4-4.
 
"There was a little bit of drama today at court No. 4," said Brochu. "Loic sprained his ankle pretty badly early in the match, but he is a fighter. He won the first set and played on one leg the rest of the match. It was four-all in the third set, so he showed a lot of character. I think all of the other guys saw this and thought 'hey this guy is on one leg and fighting? We're on two legs and have to be doing better.'"
 
Before the match started, South Alabama honored the three seniors, Jacobs, Soria and Noyon, who played their last home match at David Lubel Memorial Courts.
 
"I've been blessed to have our three seniors. Tuki has been with us for four years, so I was able to see him grow, improve and get stronger while also getting to know him as a person. Juan Cruz has been with us for one year, and he's been a great player and addition. He brings a lot of energy to the team. Pierre was only with us for two years, but he's helped us tremendously. Today he gave us a big win and was the first one to get done."
 
The Jags end the regular season with a four-match win streak and will be off for two weeks until the Sun Belt Conference Tournament begins on Thursday, April 20th in New Orleans.
 
"I like where our team is right now," said Brochu. "Up until about three weeks ago we were looking to be the first seed in the conference tournament, but we then had two close matches that we lost that dropped us in the rankings. So now we're six spots behind Georgia State, but their season isn't over yet."
 
Join the Baseline Club, the tennis-specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Baseline Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's and women's tennis programs. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/baselineclub.
 
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).