MOBILE, Ala.  – The University of South Alabama men's tennis team won the first four points and defeated No. 48 Louisiana 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.
 
Jack Clements and Louis Delcour jumped out to an early start in doubles with a quick 6-1 win on court one. Sébastien Collard and Maxime St-Hilaire followed with a 6-4 victory at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point for South.
 
Collard continued the momentum into singles, winning court one in straight sets to put the Jags up 2-0. Delcour won at No. 3 in two sets to extend the lead to 3-0. Martin Bugaj clinched the match for South Alabama with a three-set victory on court five.
 
After South clinched the match, the rest of the matches were played out. Louisiana won at court six in three sets, Clements took court two to push the lead to 5-1, while Louisiana won court four in a tiebreaker in the third set to make the final 5-2.
 
Date: 4/2
Place: Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts
Records: South Alabama 13-6 (3-1), Louisiana 17-3 (4-1)
 
DOUBLES
1. Clements/Delcour (USA) def. Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez/Karlo Kajin (ULL) 6-1
2. Collard/St-Hilaire (USA) def. Oriol Fillat Gimenze/Vasil Dimitrov (ULL) 6-4
3. Bugaj/Javier Montoya (USA) vs. Kacper Dworak/Calin Postea (ULL) 5-6, UF
Order of Finish: (1,2)
 
SINGLES
1. Collard (USA) def. Sanchez Gonzalez (ULL) 6-3, 6-1
2. Clements (USA) def. Kajin (ULL) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Delcour (USA) def. Fillat Gimenez (ULL) 6-1, 6-2
4. Postea (ULL) def. St-Hilaire (USA) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Bugaj (USA) def. Dworak (ULL) 6-3, 6-3
6. Dimitrov (ULL) def. Montoya (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3)
Order of Finish: (1,3,5,6,2,4)
 
NOTES
- USA improved to 24-17 all-time against Louisiana and 11-4 at home.
- The Jags have won the last four meetings versus the Ragin' Cajuns dating back to the 2017 season.
- South Alabama is 9-0 at home this season.
- Clements and Delcour improved to 10-5 at the No. 1 position in doubles this spring and are 14-5 overall.
- Collard and St-Hilaire have won eight of their last nine matches playing together at No. 2 and are 11-2 this spring in doubles.
- Delcour and Collard are tied for the team lead with 22 wins in singles action this season. Both are also tied for the team lead with 12 wins in dual match competition.
- Collard is 9-5 at No. 1 in singles action this spring.
- Bugaj is now 5-5 at the No. 5 position in singles.
- Clements improved to 10-4 this spring in singles and is 4-2 playing at the No. 2 position.
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Nick Brochu
- On today's performance:
"It is a big win but I told the guys that we are back-to-back champs. So, until someone beats us in the championship, we are the best team. It is a big win but I want to say it is a big win on our side. We didn't play too well when we went to Georgia, some guys were up and down. Today, all six players showed up and all six players battled. We lost two matches, losing 7-6 in the third set in both. So, I'm very happy with the way we competed and the way we stayed focused. It wasn't all pretty for us today. There were some ups and downs. In doubles, we took the lead but Louisiana fought back and came back. But, we focused and took back the lead again. I'm really satisfied with the way the guys played, stayed focused and competed today. It felt like a championship match."
 
- On staying consistent:
"We are going to have to have a good meeting. Obviously, with Louisiana being ranked and being a big rival of ours, we definitely were motivated today. Tomorrow, even though on paper, it may look like an easier match because Louisiana is ranked ahead of UTA, tomorrow is not a piece of cake at all. So, we have to get ready and show up with the same mentality as today. We have to be hungry and like I've said this season, it all starts with the captains and what a good demonstration today of what your captains are supposed to do. They stepped up. Louis [Delcour] at No. 1 doubles, Seb [Collard] at No. 2 doubles and then in singles, these guys were on fire. Louis only lost three games to probably the fittest guy in the conference, that guy is a beast out there and Louis just took him down. Seb played some incredible tennis. I'm very proud of our captains and that's the way to lead. Martin [Bugaj] stepped up today too. It's been a rough season for him but he stepped up for us."
 
UP NEXT
- The Jags will host UTA on Sunday at 9 a.m. (CST) at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.
 
—USA—