MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama men's tennis team returns to the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts for a pair of Sun Belt conference matches this weekend. The Jaguars will take on Georgia Southern on Saturday, March 30 at 10 a.m., and Georgia State on Sunday, March 31 at 11 a.m. 

When the Jaguars and Panthers face off on Sunday afternoon it will be a rematch of the last two Sun Belt Conference Championship matches. South Alabama won the Sun Belt title over Georgia State last season, 4-1 before moving on to the NCAA tournament. 

South Alabama comes into the matches with a 12-5 record and 2-0 in the conference after winning its first two Sun Belt matches last weekend vs. Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. The Jags and Georgia State sit tied atop the Conference Standings as the only two teams with a 2-0 record, while Georgia Southern comes in at 12-7 overall and 0-2 in the Sun Belt. 

MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: Georgia Southern 
Date: March 30, 2019 at 10 a.m.
Place: Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

NOTES
Georgia Southern comes into the match against the Jaguars after losing its two matches last week vs. conference opponents Louisiana and UT Arlington. The Eagles fell to the Ragin' Cajuns, 2-5, and lost 0-7 to UT Arlington. 

The Eagles are 20-27 overall in doubles matches for the season, and sit at 5-12 on the season on court number one. On the singles side, Georgia Southern is 14-5 on court two and have a record better than .500 on all courts except on number one. 

The Jaguars and Eagles last faced each other in the 2017 semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships. The Jags defeated Georgia Southern, 4-3 in that match to advance to the finals. 

MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: Georgia State
Date: March 31, 2019 at 11 a.m. 
Place: Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

NOTES
Georgia State kept pace with the Jaguars by winning their first two conference matches last weekend. The Panthers head into the weekend with a 10-8 overall record and defeated both UT Arlington and Louisiana by 4-3 margins last week. 

The Panthers will head to Troy, Ala., for a match with the Trojans on Saturday before traveling to Mobile for their Sunday match with the Jags. Georgia State is 14-2 on court three in doubles this season, and 14-15 combined on courts one and two for the season. For singles, the Panthers are 5-9 on court one and 17-12 on courts two and three for the year. 

South Alabama has met the Panthers in the Sun Belt Finals each of the last two season. The Panthers defeated the Jaguars, 4-3 in 2017, but the Jags avenged that loss last season to win their first Sun Belt title since 2008. 

ON THE COURT FOR THE JAGS 
Loic Cloes (Jr., Oreye, Belgium, 12-4 Singles, 10-6 Doubles) 
Louis Delcour (Fr., Lille, France, 9-6 Singles, 5-3 Doubles) 
Santiago Di Loreto (So., Buenos Aires, Argentina, 3-0 Singles, 4-7 Doubles) 
Maxime Lapraille (So., Ophain, Belgium, 11-4 Singles, 7-4 Doubles)
Clement Marzol (Jr., Toulouse, France, 8-4 Singles, 6-5 Doubles) 
Sacha Modica (Sr., London, England, 8-5 Singles, 6-5 Doubles) 
Sam Serrano (Sr., Cartagena, Colombia, 10-6 Singles, 7-4 Doubles)

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Nick Brochu
"We have a big weekend ahead of us. Two big matches with the teams from Georgia. Georgia Southern keeps on getting better every year. I think the best thing about the Georgia Southern team is that they are very similar from top to bottom. They don't really have a number five or six. They are just as good as the number four,  a very deep team. So we are going to have to play very good tennis. We have to make sure everyone is on point. I think it is going to be a long match with them on Saturday. Those guys are good fighters, we played them in the conference championships two years ago. It was a good and long fight. We have to make sure we have a big start. The doubles point will be a big point, in both matches this weekend." 

"Sunday with Georgia State. Big rivals, have played them the last two season in the conference finals. I know we are going to be very excited to play them, and they are definitely excited to play us. They have a lot of new players, so it will be interesting to see them."

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—