COLUMBUS, Ga. | Columbus State University picked up a 5-2 Peach Belt Conference men's tennis victory over Georgia College & State University in a battle of nationally ranked teams Wednesday (April 16) afternoon at the John W. Walden Tennis Center.
The 19th-ranked Cougars improved to 10-9 overall and to 3-1 in the Peach Belt, while the No. 28 Bobcats fell to 13-4 and 2-3. GCSU will face No. 3 and defending NCAA Division II champion Valdosta State University Friday (April 18) at 2 p.m. in Valdosta, Georgia, to close out the regular season.
The Cougars took the doubles point as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but the Bobcats evened the match at 1 after a 6-4, 6-1 victory over
Chase Martin at No. 1 singles. Columbus won the next three singles matches to clinch the win.
Luka Sauer Jimenez earned the other GCSU point with a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles.
The first NCAA Division II regional rankings came out for men's tennis earlier in the day and the Bobcats are one of 10 teams in the Southeast region under consideration for the 2025 NCAA Division II Tournament.
There will be two more published regional rankings before the final selection by the NCAA for regional play May 5. Eight teams will be selected in the Southeast region for the national tournament. In the Southeast region, the winners from the Peach Belt, South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas tournaments earn automatic berths while the other five will be at-large selections based on the regional rankings.
In addition to GCSU, the other teams under consideration in the region are Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Catawba College, Columbus State, Flagler College, Lander University, Lincoln Memorial University, University of North Georgia and Wingate University.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to theÂ
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