MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Valdosta State men's team made short work of the Lee Flames in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. with a 5-1 victory on Thursday.

The Blazers suffered their only loss of the day at No. 1 doubles, as Rhys Milne and Jake Okines upset VSU's No. 20 pairing of Jordi Mas and Florian Simbozel with an 8-6 win. The Blazers took control from that moment on, however, and Fernando Rivas joined Francisco Yim Kim at No. 2 for a quick 8-3 victory over Daniel Prata and Igor Schattan. Axel Holm and Davis Stewart followed at No. 3 with a convincing 8-2 win over Bruno Medeiros and Jordan Knott.

With VSU on top 2-1, Simbozel held the momentum for the Blazers at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Okines, before Xavier Pineda toppled Medeiros, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4. Davis Stewart gave the Blazers the point they needed at No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Prata, which lifted VSU to 16-3 on the season. Lee saw their season come to an end at 10-9.

Valdosta State advanced to the semifinal round with the win and will face West Alabama on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. EST at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala. Look for full results at www.vstateblazers.com at the conclusion of the match, and follow along live via Twitter (@BlazerAthletics).