NEW ORLEANS --   Seventh-seeded Appalachian State University men's tennis suffered a 4-0 setback to No. 2 seed and 47th-ranked South Alabama in the first round of the Sun Belt Championship at City Park Tennis Courts in New Orleans on Friday night.

Appalachian had the tall task right out of the gate facing a tough South Alabama team that featured the Sun Belt Player of the Year (Tuki Jacobs),  Newcomer of the Year (Juan Cruz Soria) and Freshman of the Year (Clement Marzol). The Mountaineers finish their season at 12-9 for their second-straight winning season and first back-to-back winning campaigns since 2011-12. 

The Mountaineers would fall in doubles play to the second-seeded Jaguars, leading to a 1-0 edge for USA heading into singles play. Scott Webster and Milo Bargeron sufferd a valiant setback to Juan Cruz Soria and Loic Close, 6-2. Alex Pavkovich and Alex Brea fell in a tightly-contested match to Olivier Gingras and Pierre Noyon, 6-4. 

After falling early in the match to USA, the Apps tried to get some momentum going in singles action. However, the Jaguars captured the first three finished matches to advance to the semifinals and will await the winner of UT Arlington and Georgia Southern.

Brea fell to Noyon 6-3, 6-2 as the No. 6 in the lineup before Bargeron suffered a 6-1, 7-5 defeat to Cloes in the fourth slot. Pavkovich fell to a tough opponent in Gonzalez as the No. 5, 6-3, 6-3. 

Webster held a lead over the 104th-ranked Jacobs, 6-4, 2-1, but would go unfinished. Jack Maddocks was battling with Soria through two sets before going unfinished, and Trey Morris' contest went unfinished with Gingras on court No. 3.

Despite the defeat,  App still had a successful season with 12 wins. Appalachian will return six of eight athletes on the roster including four in Bargereron, Brea, Pavkovich and Webster that made up four of the six Mountaineers in the singles lineup and two of the three doubles tandems.