After earning a hard-fought win over Mercer at home on Wednesday, Jacksonville State tallied an important road triumph in Sunday’s non-conference match at Alabama A&M. The Gamecocks narrowly picked up the doubles point and used that momentum to pull away in a 6-1 victory in Huntsville.
“Today was a great day to be a Gamecock,” associate head coach Trey Morris said. “In my opinion the best wins are the ones where it isn’t pretty, and that was the case today. Our guys didn’t bring their best quality but found a way to get the job done, and that says a lot about their ability to compete. Now we’ll focus in for Radford on Wednesday.”
Jax State (7-5) started the day with an early advantage in the Rocket City. Konstantin Benneman and Logan Haga posted a 6-0 win on court three in doubles play before the Bulldogs had a similarly decisive decision in the no. 2 doubles flight. Fortunately for the Red-and-White, Vanja Dobrnjac and Lucius Soller outlasted a competitive duo from AAMU (0-5) on court one and claimed the doubles point with a 6-4 triumph.
The momentum from gaining the match’s opening point carried over into one-on-one action for the Gamecocks. Dobrnjac (6-0, 6-1) and Benneman (6-4, 6-1) dominated their singles flights and freshman Matei Palcau clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-1, victory on court two. Though the Bulldogs picked up a win of their own in the no. 5 singles showdown, Jax State garnered three-set classics by Soller (6-4, 5-7, 10-3) and Alin Fatu (7-5, 2-6, 10-7) to close out the friendly match.
Jacksonville State men’s tennis will return home on Wednesday against Radford. That match at the JSU Tennis Courts will begin at 1 p.m. Following another home match versus Southern Miss on March 13, the Gamecocks will open ASUN play at Eastern Kentucky next Fri., March 17.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateMTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts.
Tennis Match Results
JSU vs AAMU
3/5/2023 at Huntsville, Ala.
JSU 6, AAMU 1
Singles Competition
1. Alin Fatu (JSU) def. Vence Ntcha (AAMU) 7-5, 2-6, 10-7
2. Matei Palcau (JSU) def. Yin Chih Lan (AAMU) 7-5, 6-1
3. Vanja Dobrnjac (JSU) def. Divesh Gahlot (AAMU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Lucius Soller (JSU) def. Chetanna Amadike (AAMU) 6-4, 5-7, 10-3
5. Arnav Pathange (AAMU) def. Vicente Arbelaez (JSU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Konstantin Benneman (JSU) def. Freddie Lawrence (AAMU) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. Vanja Dobrnjac/Lucius Soller (JSU) def. Vence Ntcha/Arnav Pathange (AAMU) 6-4
2. Chetanna Amadike/Yin Chih Lan (AAMU) def. Alin Fatu/Xavier Sarda Marti (JSU) 6-2
3. Konstantin Benneman/Logan Haga (JSU) def. German Ruiz Crespo/Lebogang Mashego (AAMU) 6-0
Original source can be found here.
