MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Valdosta State men's tennis team handled their business in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Thursday and cruised to a comfortable 5-0 first round victory over the rival Statesmen of Delta State at O'Connor Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala.

VSU took a 3-0 lead at the break after picking up three straight wins in doubles action. Niklas Herbring teamed up with Jordi Mas at No. 1 to topple Alexi Turc and Jeoffrey Noblecourt, and Leo Blay joined Xavier Pineda for a win at No. 2 over Hicham Azzaoui and Joao Yamacita.

At No. 3, VSU closed out doubles play with a win for Gereon Heitmann and Fernando Rivas over Timo Schmitz and Julian Massa.

The Blazers needed just two victories in singles play to seal the match, and both Herbring and Heitmann answered the call. Heitmann defeated Noblecourt 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2, and Herbring sealed the deal with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Schmitz at No. 5.

With the win, Valdosta State improved to 13-6 overall and advanced to the semifinal round to face North Alabama. VSU has advanced to the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament every year since the conference took on a round format in 1994, resulting in their 26th consecutive appearance beyond the first round of the tournament.

Valdosta State's semifinal round matchup vs. UNA is slated for 10:00 a.m. EST on Friday morning.