PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | The South Alabama Jaguars suffered a 4-2 loss at the hands of Old Dominion, falling the Sun Belt Conference championship match.
In doubles, the Old Dominion struck first with a win at number one, where Younes Lalami and Brandon
Perez beating
Maxime St-Hilaire and
Jack Clements 6-2.
The Monarchs took a 1-0 lead on the day after a win from double number three, where the Monarch duo of Francois Le Tallec and Cosme Rolland De Ravel beat
Louis Delcour and
Javier Montoya 6-3.
In singles, South claimed three first sets while the Monarchs took the other three.
Old Dominion's Jakob Cadonau got the Monarchs on the singles board with a 6-3, 6-3 win at number four over
Jack Clements, giving them the 2-0 advantage.
Senior
Sebastien Collard got South Alabama on the board with a win from number one, beating Younes Lalami 6-2, 6-4.
The Monarchs extended their lead to 3-1 with a won from Cosme Rolland De Ravel at number three, beating
Louis Delcour 6-3, 6-2.
Javier Montoya cut Old Dominion's lead again with a win from number six, beating Nicola Vidal 6-3, 6-4 to make the score 3-2.
The Monarchs clinched the championship win with a win at number five, where Luca Maldoner got a comeback 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win over
Martin Bugaj.
No. 63 South Alabama finishes the season 17-8, posting a 7-1 conference record.
Match Results
April 22, 2023
12 pm – Peachtree City, Ga.
Singles
1.
Sebastien Collard (USA) def. Younes Lalami (ODU) 6-2, 6-4
2.
Maxime St-Hilaire (USA) vs. Francois Le Tallec (ODU) 5-7, 7-5, unfinished
3. Cosme Rolland DeRavel (ODU) def.
Louis Delcour (USA) 6-3, 6-2
4. Jakob Cadonau (ODU) def.
Jack Clements (USA) 6-3, 6-3
5. Luca Maldoner (ODU) def.
Martin Bugaj (USA) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
6.
Javier Montoya (USA) def. Nicola Vidal (ODU) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
1. Younes Lalami/Brandon Perez (ODU) def.
Jack Clements/
Maxime St-Hilaire (USA) 6-2
2.
Sebastien Collard/
Martin Bugaj (USA) vs. Jakob Cadonau/Luca Maldoner (ODU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Francois Le Tallec/Cosme Rolland DeRavel (ODU) def.
Louis Delcour/
Javier Montoya (USA) 6-3
Quotable from coach Nick Brochu
"I have been in many finals in my career, been on both sides of winning and losing, but this is probably one of the best finals I've been in. This was an amazing battle. Old Dominion won the doubles point and they had the momentum early, but all of a sudden we fought right back. I am very proud of our guys because we were so close. Even though Old Dominion won the doubles point, they had won two first and then we won three first sets the last match was an amazing battle and number two, and Old Dominion ended up winning that first set. We knew it was split straight down the middle and we knew we had to turn one around. All of a sudden the guys were fighting. Both teams were playing unbelievable tennis. We had been talking about Old Dominion versus South Alabama the entire season. We were the top two teams, top two seeds, and top two ranked in the nation. That was a perfect show today in the final. Great level of play and this one really hurts, but at the same time what more can you ask for? The guys gave everything. Nobody choked. The matches we won today we earned it, the matches they won they earned them. In the end, it would have been an amazing show if we could have won at number five then it would have come down to number two which was an amazing match, we had spilt sets and were about to start the third set, which would have been amazing.
I am very proud of every guy on this team. I am even more proud of my three seniors. We had great leadership this year. This season we had one of the strongest, hardest schedules that I've had in many years, and it was tough. We went down to Florida and had some tough battles, came really close to upsetting some big power five teams and we were missing something, couldn't get the last point.
It was a hard season, but the seniors kept working hard and kept everybody in line and we kept pushing each other at practice. We've got Seb, player of the year, but I know his character, he's such a great guy. Yes, he won player of the year, but he would trade that in a heartbeat for a conference championship and going to the NCAAs. He's such a team player and he always put the team first. We've got Martin, he's had his best year, and this year was big. Today was a heartbreaker for him, he was the last point. It is extremely hard, but he gave everything he had. He has clinched so many matches for us this season, he clinched the match back when we played ODU in the regular season. I always tell my guys you've got to give your best and you can't win them all. You've got to put yourself in a position to win and after that, give your best. Sometimes you win and sometimes you come up short. Today we put ourselves in a position to win, we fought, we gave everything, and came up short. We've got to keep our heads high. We've got Louis, who has been here five years and he has two rings, but he wanted this one more than the other two. He pushed everyone on this team, he supported everyone. Louis was the heart and soul of this team. He missed the first month of the season and he came back and worked so hard. I know he's beating himself for not being able to win today, but he played probably one of the best players in the conference. Louis gave everything he could. Louis is a true Jag, a Jag for life. All three of these guys are great players, great people. I am going to miss them. This team was amazing. I believe if we play Old Dominion 10 times, we win five, they win five. We won 4-3 in the season and today they beat us. Today is hard, but Louis and Jack are in a great position to be selected for the NCAA in doubles, so we will see this week. This is not the end of the journey for them. Overall, today, extremely proud of those guys. Go Jags."
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