VALDOSTA, Ga. – The top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Valdosta State men's tennis team opens the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championship Round of Sixteen Thursday morning versus No. 16-seed Fairmont State at 8 a.m., at the USTA National Training Center in Orlando, Fla.
 
The Blazers are 19-0 this season and won the Gulf South Conference regular season (9-0), won their league-best 15^th GSC Championship and won the NCAA South Region #1 Tournament earning a berth in the national championship rounds for the first time since 2016.  VSU is the only undefeated team in Division II this season. 
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the national championship rounds by clicking here.
 
The Blazers won 4-0 over Spring Hill College in their portion of the regional and then downed No. 6-ranked West Florida, 4-1, to advance to national championship play.  Barry, who was seeded third in the other half of the regional, upset No. 2-seed Saint Leo, 4-1, to advance as well.  The Buccaneers are the No. 4-seed in the national championship round.  VSU defeated Barry, 4-3, on Mar. 5, in Valdosta, as one of two top-ranked teams the Blazers defeated this season with Saint Leo (4-0) being the other on Mar. 24.  It marked the first time in program history the Blazers have defeated two top-ranked teams in the same season.  
 
Blazer junior Luca Mack is 25-1 this season in singles and is No. 2 nationally behind Columbus State's Santiago Perez, who Mack fell to in the ITA Fall National Championship finals in three sets.  Columbus State also won its portion of the Southeast Regional and is the No. 2-seed in the national championship.  The Cougars open with No. 15-seed Le Moyne (N.Y.), while Barry battles No. 13-seed Charleston (W.Va.). 
 
Mack and junior Rodrigo Carvalho are 15^th nationally in doubles this season as the duo are 17-1 this spring as they went a perfect 9-0 in league play and winners of their last 15 matches.  The No. 2 doubles team for the Blazers features sophomore Lamar Bartley and senior Christian Felline as they are 9-2 this spring and went 5-1 in GSC play.  At No. 3 doubles, juniors Christian Wedel and Pedro Cordeiro are 12-3 this spring and went 4-2 in league play.  Both Mack and Carvalho earned ITA All-America honors last season as the tandem was the top-ranked team at the end of the 2022 season.  Mack also earned ITA All-America accolades a year ago in singles.  
 
This season, Mack earned GSC Men's Tennis Champion Scholar-Athlete honors and was named VSU Male Athlete of the Year.  He was named GSC Men's Tennis Player of the Year and earned first team all-conference honors.  Along with Mack, Carvalho and Wedel earned first team all-league honors, while Felline was a second team selection.  Head coach John Hansen earned his 14^th GSC Men's Coach of the Year accolades and the second in the last three years.  Hansen has coached the Blazers for over 50 years. 
 
Carvalho is 13-2 in singles this spring for 48^th nationally, while Wedel is 55^th in singles at 18-2 this spring. Bartley is 7-2 this spring at the No. 3 spot in the lineup, while Felline is 10-2 and Cordeiro is 13-3 this season.  Junior Edward Etty is 5-0, while graduate student Swann Flohr is 4-0.  Etty/Flohr are 2-0 in doubles this year, while Etty/Bartley are 2-1.  
 
The Blazers are 54-25 all-time in the NCAA postseason and won national titles in 2006 and 2011.  The 54 victories are sixth-most all-time in NCAA Division II and the fifth-most among current NCAA Division II institutions.  VSU has three runner-up finishes and two fourth-place finishes as well.  
 
Fairmont State enters the national championships rounds after winning the Mountain East Conference Championship for its first league title with a 4-3 victory over top-seeded Charleston.  FSU head coach Terry Dermer was named MEC Coach of the Year after guiding the Falcons to a 14-2 record during the regular season and a 5-1 mark in league play.  The Falcons are 18-2 currently and are 2-2 all-time in the NCAA postseason with trips in 2018, 2022 and now 2023.  
 
For the Falcons, who are No. 35 in the latest ITA rankings, are led by Elia Barozzi as he was named to the All-MEC First Team, while Mohamed El Helay, Alexandre Pages, Seena Saadevandi and Kan Watanabe were second team honorees. 
 
If the Blazers were to get past Fairmont State, they would play the winner of the No. 8/9 matchup between Northwest Missouri State and Cameron on Friday, May 12 at 4 p.m. ET.  NWMSU is 15^th nationally and the No. 8-seed, while Cameron (Okla.) is 12^th nationally and the No. 9-seed.  The bottom portion of the Blazers' half of the bracket features No. 5-seed Wayne State (Mich.) vs. No. 12-seed Washburn (Kan.) and Barry/Charleston.  The semifinals are set for May 14 at 4 p.m., with the National Championship match scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m.
 
Click here for the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis bracket.