LAKELAND, Fla. – Valdosta State men's tennis seniors Takeshi Taco and Boruch Skierkier met in the final of the ITA South Regional Men's Tennis singles championship with Taco coming away with a 7-6, 7-6 victory, claiming the automatic qualifier into the ITA Fall National Championship. 
 
Taco upset top-seeded Alex Benichou Blanchard of Mississippi College in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-2, while Skierkier downed Eita Ishkawa of West Alabama 6-4, 6-0, for an all-Blazer final. In the final, Taco won 7-6, 7-6 to claim the regional championship.  Skierkier will have a chance to advance to nationals also when the at-large selections are announced later this week.
 
Blazer doubles duo of Taco and senior Xaveam Van Wijk downed Montevallo tandem of Dylan Kamel and Luiz Gobbi Brandao 8-6 in the quarterfinals and then lost to Saint Leo's Luis Iriarte and Eduardo Cohen 8-4 in the semifinals.
 
The ITA Fall National Championships are scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Rome, Ga.