BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University men's tennis team will compete in its first home match of the 2015 spring season Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs are scheduled to square off against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a key early-season, non-conference contest to be held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
Samford (0-2) heads into the match with aspirations of bouncing back from a pair of tough season-opening road losses to No. 36 Alabama and No. 28 Mississippi State.
 
On Saturday, the Bulldogs faced their second nationally-ranked opponent in as many matches this season as they came up short in a hard-fought 4-0 decision at Mississippi State in a South Regional showdown held at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
 
In the matchup at No. 28 Mississippi State, Samford fell behind early by a count of 1-0 after losing the doubles point. The homestanding Bulldogs jumped out quickly on the visitors and earned identical 6-1 wins on courts No. 1 and No. 3 to take the initial point of the match.
 
Samford competed valiantly in singles play and won the first set from its counterparts on courts No. 3 and No. 6.
 
In the No. 3 singles matchup, the Bulldogs' Trey Carter won the first set against Mississippi State's No. 63-ranked Tassilo Schmid in dominant fashion, 6-2. The pair was tied in the second set at 4-4 when the match was called.
 
Samford true freshman Jake Faundez also handled his Mississippi State opponent in the opening set on court No. 6, 6-2. Against Robin Haden, Faundez was leading the second set 5-4 when Saturday's contest concluded. Prior to the match, both coaches agreed to suspend the remaining matches once an official decision was reached.
 
Mississippi State earned the 4-0 victory with straight-set singles wins on courts No. 4, No. 5 and No. 1.
 
Jacksonville State (2-4) opened its 2015 campaign with hard-fought losses to Southern Miss, 4-0, and New Orleans (UNO), 4-2, but has since earned non-conference victories against Alcorn State, 4-0, and Chattanooga, 4-3.
 
Over the weekend, after eight days away from competition, the Gamecocks played back-to-back days and defeated Chattanooga, while suffering a 4-1 setback against UAB.
 
Jacksonville State edged UTC, 4-3, on Saturday in Chattanooga before dropping a loss to the Blazers in Birmingham on Sunday.
 
Against the Mocs, the Gamecocks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on the scoreboard by claiming the doubles point. Jacksonville State's duo of Felipe Wenzel and Mathias Chaim topped the Mocs' Pavels Grigorjevs and Derrick Brown, 6-3, at No. 3.
 
After Chattanooga evened the doubles portion at 1-1 with a win on court No. 2, the Gamecocks claimed the doubles point after JSU's pairing of Pedro Wagner and Jefferson Wendler-Filho ousted UTC's team of John Peacey and Lucas Plesky, 6-2.
 
With the doubles point sewn up, Jacksonville State notched the needed three wins in singles play at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5. Wendler-Filho earned a three-set win over Grigorjevs after falling in the first set. He then bounced back to win 6-3, 7-5. Dylan Gee also extended UTC's Luke Saunders at No. 3. After Gee suffered a 6-0 loss in the opening set, he regrouped to win 7-6(5), 6-4 to take the point. 
 
Gee's point clinched the match for the Gamecocks. Reese turned in a straight sets win at No. 5 after disposing of UTC's Gino Delavalle, 6-3, 7-5.
 
Against the Blazers on Sunday, Jacksonville State's pairing of Wagner and Wendler-Filho earned their second win of the weekend with a 6-1 thumping of UAB's tandem of Mitchell Martell and Luiz Felipe Pinto. UAB garnered the doubles point and eventually won three matches in singles play for the win.
 
Last season, Samford rallied for a 5-2 home victory against Jacksonville State. In the win held at the Samford Tennis Center, the Bulldogs earned the all-important doubles point by receiving victories on courts No. 3 and No. 1.
 
In the No. 3 doubles contest, Samford's combination of Austin Akers and Fares Kilani cruised to an 8-3 triumph over its Jacksonville State counterpart, while the Bulldogs clinched the early 1-0 lead in the match with an 8-7 (3) on court No. 1 from Elliot Barnwell and Trey Carter.
 
Samford swept the top portion of singles play and received a dominant 6-0, 6-3 victory from Liam Sullivan in the No. 6 matchup to earn its decisive 5-2 team triumph.
 
The Bulldogs' Kilani and Akers both registered lopsided straight-set wins on courts No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while Barnwell outlasted the Gamecocks' Wagner in the highly-anticipated matchup on court No. 1, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2).
 
Following Wednesday's home-opening contest against Jacksonville State, the Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Saturday at 3 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return to the road for a critical non-conference test against the Georgia State Panthers to be held at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia.