South Alabama defeats No. 67 Tulane 4-0

MOBILE, Ala. – The Jaguars took an early 3-0 lead and held off a Tulane attack in singles to claim a 4-0 win over the number 67 ranked Green Wave, to earn their 10^th win of the season.

In highly contested doubles play, it was South Alabama who came out on top, taking a 1-0 advantage early.

Number three doubles finished first, with the duo of Chems Doha Zeghlouli and Lara van der Merwe taking the match 6-3 over Charlotte Russell and Brooke Theis. Tulane answered by winning at number one doubles, where Lahari Yelamanchili and Kristen Borland defeated Tereza Dejnozkova and Elysia Pool 6-3.

Attention then turned to court two, where Nikola Novotna and Manal Ennaciri were battling with Cora Barber and Mackenzie Clark, with the Jaguar duo coming out on top 6-4.

In singles, the Jags dropped first sets on four courts, but then battled back and forced third sets on all four.

Chems Doha Zeghlouli extended the Jaguar lead to 2-0 on the day following a quick win at number five, issuing Charlotte Russell a 6-1, 6-0 loss.

Elysia Pool got her 11^th win of the season to put the Jaguars up 3-0 over No. 67 Tulane, winning 6-3, 6-1 over Mackenzie Clark.

The match sat at 3-0 for over an hour, before Tereza Dejnozkova was the hero for the Jaguars. Dropping her first set 4-6, Dejnozkova battled and won her second set 6-3 to force a third, and won the tight matchup against Lahari Yelamanchili 6-4, clinching the match for the Jaguars and securing a ranked win.

The remaining matches went unfinished, all in their third set. At number three, Nikola Novotna was down 4-5 in the third set, after dropping the first set 2-6 but winning the second 7-6 (7-5).

At number four, Manal Ennaciri held a 5-4 advantage in the third set against Cora Barber. Barber claimed the first set 6-4 before Ennaciri leveled the with a 6-3 win the second set.

Otoha Aoki and Brooke Theis were in set number three on court six, after Theis won 7-5 in set one and Aoki won 6-4 in the second set. Aoki held a 2-1 lead in set three upon the conclusion of the match.

Match Results
March 27, 2024
12 pm – Mobile, Ala.
Singles
1. Tereza Dejnozkova (USA) def. Lahari Yelamanchili (TUL) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. Elysia Pool (USA) def. Mackenzie Clark (TUL) 6-3, 6-1
3. Nikola Novotna (USA) vs. Kristen Borland (TUL) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-5, unfinished
4. Manal Ennaciri (USA) vs. Cora Barber (TUL) 4-6, 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
5. Chems Doha Zeghlouli (USA) def. Charlotte Russell (TUL) 6-1, 6-0
6. Otoha Aoki (USA) vs. Brooke Theis (TUL) 5-7, 6-4, 2-1, unfinished

Doubles
1. Lahari Yelamanchili/Kristen Borland (TUL) def. Tereza Dejnozkova/Elysia Pool (USA) 6-3
2. Nikola Novotna/Manal Ennaciri (USA) def. Cora Barber/Mackenzie Clark (TUL) 6-4
3. Chems Doha Zeghlouli/Lara Van Der Merwe (USA) def. Charlotte Russell/Brooke Theis (TUL) 6-3

Quotable from coach Dr. Jaco Keyser
"That is a good win for us. First nationally ranked win a while. That is a good team, and it was a good bounce back for us. I think things were a little tense the last day or two after Sunday's loss, but that is part of it, how we bounce back, and we bounced back today in a great way. Hopefully, that jump starts a little bit of confidence. We are fighting like crazy and our competitive identity is there. Today, the quality of play elevated a little bit. This is a good team, we just need to back ourselves."

Up Next
South Alabama hits the road again this weekend, traveling to Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern.

FOLLOW THE JAGS
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—USA—

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