MOBILE, Ala. — The University of South Alabama men's tennis team opened up Sun Belt Conference action with a 7-0 win over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts. 

The Jaguars captured the doubles point with two dominant wins on courts two and three. Maxime Lapraille and Louis Delcour defeated their opponents 6-0, while Loic Cloes and Santiago Di Loreto won 6-1 for the Jags point.

South Alabama took that momentum over to singles play and won all but one match in straight sets. Sacha Modica bested Milo Bargeron of App State on court one to clinch the crucial fourth point for the Jaguars. The teams played out all seven points, and Delcour finished up the sweep with a 10-5 win in the tiebreaker set vs. Campbell Stone. 

The Jags improve to 11-5 on the season and sit at 1-0 in conference play after the first match of Sun Belt play. 

DOUBLES
(1) Sacha Modica/Sam Serrano (USA) vs. Bargeron, Milo/Pavkovich, Alex (APP) 5-1, unfinished 
(2) Loic Cloes/Santiago Di Loreto (USA) def. Webster, Ben/Heaven, Zion (APP) 6-1
(3) Maxime Lapraille/Louis Delcour (USA) def. Brea, Alex/Stone, Campbell (APP) 6-0
Order of Finish: (3,2)

SINGLES
(1) Sacha Modica (USA) def. Bargeron, Milo (APP) 6-2, 6-2
(2) Loic Cloes (USA) def. Pavkovich, Alex (APP) 6-2, 6-3
(3) Sam Serrano (USA) def. Heaven, Zion (APP) 6-4, 6-4
(4) Maxime Lapraille (USA) def. Viana, Afonso (APP) 6-2, 6-1
(5) Louis Delcour (USA) def. Stone, Campbell (APP) 7-6, 1-6, 10-5
(6) Santiago Di Loreto (USA) def. Carter, Blake (APP) 6-4, 6-4 
Order of Finish: (4,2,1,6,3,5)

NOTES
South Alabama broke a three-match losing streak with the win against the Mountaineers this afternoon. 
Santiago Di Loreto played in his third singles match of the season for the Jaguars and improves to 3-0. 
Cloes is on a an eight-match winning streak and has won four of those matches in straight sets. 
The Jags have won 15 straight points against Appalachian State without dropping a point, dating back to the Sun Belt Semifinals in 2016 when the Mountaineers took one point in a 4-1 loss. 

UP NEXT
South Alabama remains at home to take on Coastal Carolina at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts. First serve is set for 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 24. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Nick Brochu
"Great match today! Our goal was to show a lot of energy and maintain that level, and that's exactly what we did. Came out in doubles storming, I mean there was great energy and we were aggressive. We were taking the net, poaching, and executing well. We went up a break or two on all three courts in doubles. We had a great start and we were able to close out the point quickly." 

"Went into singles with a lot of energy and that's the goal, to maintain how we have been playing this season. The guys did awesome, we won pretty much straight sets everywhere, all but one position. You know, great leadership by the top guys. They got us on the board very early, we won three matches fairly quickly to put us up 4-0. After that it was just a matter of time. App State is an explosive team, they play indoors. We were able to establish our game and really grind them out. We got the 7-0 win in two hours, so that was pretty impressive." 

"We need to be ready for tomorrow, Coastal is a pretty similar opponent. Instead of focusing on them, we need to focus on us. We have to focus and make sure we execute well, and make the right decision. We have to maintain the intensity we had today. It's great to be back home." 

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

—USA—