MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The Valdosta State men's tennis team returned to action on Sunday afternoon for the first time since capturing the 2016 Gulf South Conference Championship on April 16th, and the squad picked up right where they left off with a 5-0 victory over the North Alabama Lions in the NCAA Division II South 2 Regional semifinal in Miami Shores, Fla.

With the victory, the No. 8 ranked Blazers improved to 16-6 on the season, while the No. 46 Lions saw their season come to an end at 12-5 overall.

The Blazers kicked off the Sunday afternoon postseason rout with an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles for Niklas Herbring and Jordi Mas over Guillaume Dechoz and Millington Herrmann. Gereon Heitmann and Fernando Rivas followed suit with another 8-3 win over Miguel Garcia and Taylor Ausbon at No. 3, and the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year Leo Blay teamed up with Xavier Pineda to drop Benjamin Poire and Max Druppel, 8-4, at No. 2.

Following the break, Valdosta State wasted no time disposing of the Lions, as Pineda promptly secured a 6-1, 6-3 win over Ausbon at No. 6 before Herbring put the finishing touches on the win with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Druppel at No. 5.

Head Coach John Hansen and his program now turn their attention to the South 2 Regional final, where the Blazers will square off against No. 7 Barry on their home turf at 11:00 a.m. on Monday. CLICK HERE to view the tournament page, and be sure to revisit www.vstateblazers.com on Monday for live statistical coverage of the match.