JACKSON, MISS – Jackson State University's men's and women's tennis teams will host Jacksonville State University here on Monday, in matches originally scheduled for last Friday but postponed due to inclement weather.
The JSU Tigers will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks first, starting their match at 11 a.m. The women's match will follow with a start time of 1:30 p.m. All of the action will be held at the JSU Tennis Center on Walter Payton Drive.
Jackson State's men are 0-1 on the season following a loss at Memphis on January 17. Despite that loss, head coach
Gabrielle Moore said she was impressed with what she saw in her veteran squad.
"They played really aggressive and with a lot of energy," said Moore. "We've been discussing the will to compete out there. That's what's going to win for us, never giving up and taking it point-by-point."
"Jacksonville State is a team that we play every year," added Moore. "They're a really solid team and we're looking for a win as we get ready to go into SWAC play the following week."
Leading the charge for the Tigers are senior Richie Gamo, senior
Francisco Vargas and junior
Agustin Agosto.
Unlike the JSU men's team, the women's team is a much younger team, sporting a roster that includes five freshmen. Despite their youth, the Lady Tigers are 1-1 after registering a big 5-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin in their last outing on January 30, following a narrow 4-3 defeat at Texas State in their season-opener the previous day.
"I will say with the freshmen on our women's team, they're really fearless and have been dominating in their matches," said Moore. "We're proud to have freshmen to come in and compete right away and actually dominate in the matches mostly."
Some of JSU's women's players to look out for are freshman Paul Arcarons, sophomore
Tyra-Nicole Whyte and graduate student
Sherine Salem.
What should fans expect as they see their Tigers and Lady Tigers in action at home for the first time this season on Monday?
"Our kids take pride in their university and they take pride in competing for Jackson State, so we'd love their support," said Moore. "We have two competitive teams. The women were regular-season champs last season and we just look forward to getting better this year. The support helps. Having people come out, cheer for us and watch our matches really shows that the fans and the school are behind them and committed to them"
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