Men's tennis stays undefeated in SBC play

Over the weekend, the Troy men’s team gained two wins over Alabama A&M and Southern Miss. 

Finishing their match against Alabama A&M — where both teams met back on Feb. 20, when the Trojans fell short during the doubles matches and went into singles play with the Bulldogs ahead — things started to turn once senior Yeray Andres Pastor, sophomore

Thiago Drozdowski, and junior Luciano Alcocer claimed their courts with striking set wins, before the match was paused and rescheduled due to inclement weather. 

Now finishing Saturday’s match, Ausias Martin Melo closed out court one with a straight‑set win, with Stephan Tavares Noale and Hiro Sakamoto finishing on their courts in three sets, 6‑1, 6‑3. Troy defeated the Bulldogs 6–1 in the match. 

Then on Sunday against Southern Miss, the Trojans started out rough, losing the doubles point on court one and court three. As singles play started, the Trojans began to heat up.  

Martin Melo, Sakamoto and Pastor each finished their courts with straight‑set wins, yet the Eagles still trailed behind. 

The match was called once Tavares Noale defeated USM’s Ollie Noltorp 6‑2, 7‑6, 6‑4 in the clincher, sealing the victory for the Trojans 4-2. 

The win against Southern Miss now places Troy at 2‑0 in conference play. The Trojans are on an 11‑match winning streak — their longest since 2021 — and are also 11‑0 at home.

Their next matchup will be held against Alabama State at the Lunsford Tennis Complex on Thursday at 1 p.m.