STARKVILLE, Miss.– After defeating Nicholls State on Tuesday its first win of the season, the University of South Alabama men's tennis team (1-2) will face Mississippi State (7-1) at Sawyer Tennis Courts on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the two clubs. Mississippi State claimed a 4-0 victory over the Jaguars in the last meeting between the teams last season, on May 4, for a 5-1 all-time series lead.

MATCH INFORMATION – SOUTH ALABAMA VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Date: 2/13
Place: Sawyer Tennis Courts (Starkville, Miss.)
Match Time: 1 p.m.
Live Results: https://hailstate.com/sports/2021/1/7/mens-tennis-live-coverage.aspx

ON THE COURT FOR THE JAGUARS
- Ezra Blissard (Sr., Van Vleet, Miss., 0-8 Singles, 3-4 Doubles)
- Philip Bosman (Fr., Auburn, Ala., 2-7 Singles, 4-4 Doubles)
- Martin Bugaj (So., Hodonín, Czech Republic, 3-6 Singles, 6-4 Doubles)
- Loïc Cloes (Sr., Oreye, Belgium, 1-1 Singles, 2-0 Doubles)
- Sébastien Collard (So., Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, 10-2 Singles, 10-4 Doubles)
- Jordan Coutinho (So., Johannesburg, South Africa, 5-5 Singles, 5-7 Doubles)
- Louis Delcour (So., Lille, France, 0-1 Singles, 1-0 Doubles)
- Julien Evrard (Sr., Lille, France, 9-3 Singles, 10-3 Doubles)
- Clément Marzol (Sr., Toulouse, France, 7-3 Singles, 9-3 Doubles)
- Leon Pet'ko (Fr., Bratislava, Slovakia, 1-2 Singles, 2-1 Doubles)

NOTES
- Fans are not allowed inside Mississippi State's indoor facility.
- Collard has won 10 of his last 12 matches in singles action this season, while Evrard improved his overall singles record to 9-3 against Nicholls State on Tuesday.
- Cloes, Collard and Pet'ko earned victories in singles and doubles against Nicholls State.
- The Bulldogs are led by Giovanni Oradini, who is 4-1 at the No.  1 this season.
- Mississippi State returns to the courts after a successful weekend defeating Memphis (4-2) and Jackson State (7-0).

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Nick Brochu
- On Saturday's match: "We are excited to go back to Starkville. We were assigned there the last two times in the NCAA's, and we had success over there, winning the first round for two years in a row, so that was great. It's going to be a different experience because, more than likely, we will be indoors. They won't allow any fans in their indoor facility, which may help because Mississippi State has a strong fan base. The last few times we have played them was in front of 200 people. Mississippi State is a very energetic and very competitive team. They are probably one of the loudest teams in the country, so we're going to have to match that energy and have a competitive spirit.

"The players are very excited. We have some older players on our team who have seen Mississippi State's team mentality. Even though they have many new players, they still have the same mentality and same drive as they did before. Overall, it's going to be a good match, and our goal is to go for it and go for our shots. We're facing a massive uphill battle, so we have to make sure that we show up right from the start. We must stay aggressive and be assertive. We're strong in doubles this year with our three teams, so it's going to be a great battle. If we can manage to take the doubles point, that will start some momentum going our way. Anything can happen, so we're looking forward to getting over there."

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