Kevin Huynh MTEN
Daniel Wilson
4
Winner Georgia State GSUM (14-7)
2
Georgia Southern GSMT (7-9)
Winner
Georgia State GSUM
(14-7)
4
Final
2
Georgia Southern GSMT
(7-9)

Match Recap: Men's Tennis |

Panthers Claim Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Title with Victory, 4-2, Over Georgia Southern

Statesboro, Ga.- Closing out regular season conference competition on the road, the Georgia State men's tennis team claimed the Sun Belt Conference regular season title on Thursday defeating in-state conference rival Georgia Southern, 4-2, at Wallis Tennis Center. With Patrick Lazo clinching the match at the No. 6 court position, the Panthers moved to 14-7 on the season and completed SBC play posting a 5-1 record.

No. 65 GSU entered the outing in Statesboro, Ga. with the opportunity to claim the regular season conference championship with a win. The team charted its 16th doubles victory on the spring and jumped out to an early lead, 1-0. 

Lazo and partner Diego Padilha won, 6-4, at court position No. 3 while Kevin Huynh and partner Harvey Maughan claimed the second court position with a win, 7-5. 

The match was evened in singles play, 1-1, following Maughan being forced to retire at court position No. 4 with an injury. Andrei Duarte secured a second point for GSU with a victory in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, at the top court as the Panthers took a 2-1 advantage.

The match was evened once more with GSU dropping on singles court No. 2. Tied at 2-2, the team battled down a set in singles No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 needing wins at two of the three courts positions.

Despite the losses in the first set of each match, the Panthers proceeded to rally for three set victories at court positions No. 3 and No. 6. Seniors Vazha Shubladze and Lazo responded by posting dominant third set victories at each position.

Shubladze downed his opponent in No. 3 singles, 1-6, 7-6, 6-2, adding to the Panthers' point total and taking back the lead, 3-2. Lazo's match clinching victory, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, earned GSU the win, 4-2, over the conference foe as the Panthers secured the SBC regular season title.

"It feels great to be regular season champs," head coach Jonathan Wolff said. "The guys really earned it— we overcame a lot of adversity throughout the season, and we really rallied in a tough atmosphere on the road today with a lot of implications. We always talk about the value of our senior leadership, and it showed today."

All three of the Panthers' singles points came from seniors Duarte, Shubladze and Lazo, ultimately giving GSU the edge in match play and the victory.

"We're excited to near the conference tournament with some momentum," Wolff said. "But before we do, we have Senior Day against Tennessee Tech on Sunday. I couldn't be more proud of these guys— they really earned it. We'll enjoy this win against our rival and recover with a day off, then get back to work for Sunday."

GSU will close out the regular season with a final home match facing Tennessee Tech on Sunday, April 10 for Senior Day. The outing will be hosted by the Panthers at the GSU Clarkston Courts at 1 p.m. ET with live stats provided for fans.

More information on Senior Day will be released later in the week and posted to the team's social media accounts leading up to the match. The Panthers will begin Sun Belt Conference tournament competition on Friday, April 15 with more updates to follow.

Follow the Georgia State men's tennis team on Twitter and Instagram (@GSUMTennis) for additional news as the Panthers near postseason play.



 
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