MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama men's tennis team (2-2) heads to Birmingham, Ala., for a Saturday doubleheader, where they will face off against UAB and Samford at the Samford Tennis Center in two separate matches. 

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its first singles and doubles rankings of 2019 on Wednesday, Feb. 6. After a  3-0 start to the season the doubles team of Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol moved up from their final fall ranking of No. 16 to No. 11. Marzol, who began the season ranked No. 46 on the singles side, slid to No. 95 in the latest rankings after a 2-2 start to the season, but remains the lone Jags player to be ranked on his own. 

UAB enters the Saturday dual with a 4-3 record, and is coming off a 4-1 win over Southern Miss this past Sunday. Samford comes in with a 3-3 record after beating Nichols State 4-1 this past weekend. 

DUEL INFORMATION
MATCH 1
Opponent: UAB
Date: Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. 
Place: Samford Tennis Center

MATCH 2
Opponent: Samford
Date: Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. 
Place: Samford Tennis Center

NOTES
- The Jaguars are coming off a 7-0 sweep of Xavier (La.) in their first home match of the season. 
- South Alabama has yet to cede the doubles point in one of their four matches this spring. 
- Maxime Lapraille is 4-0 in the spring season and has lost just one of his previous eight matches dating back to Oct 12, 2018. 
- The Jags beat Samford 4-0 in a dual match last season on Feb. 23 at the David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts in Mobile, Ala. 
- South Alabama fell 3-4 to UAB last season in a match that came down to the wire in Mobile, Ala., on April 8. 

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Nick Brochu
On the rankings: "The boys have been working hard in doubles. They are passionate and it shows. They are great friends and are always willing to help and support each other. Their chemistry on the court is awesome, and they are both very competitive and motivated. They both know team comes in first, but they also want to get back to the NCAAs in May. They went last year but now they want to go deep into the tournament. They have had a great start of the year with three good wins, including against no 44 of Florida State. Their energy is always up and it's a lot of fun to watch them." 

On Marzol: "Clem had an awesome fall with many ranked wins at the All-American Championship. His singles ranking dropped but I'm not worried. He let his first two matches slip but he is now playing at a high level again." 

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/baselineclub

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