VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams have some big matches this week at the VSU Tennis Complex.  The men's team has three matches this week, while the women's team has two.
 
The No. 8-ranked Blazer men's tennis team faces No. 14 Lander on Wednesday at 1 p.m., and then will face No. 24 Lee on Friday at 2 p.m., and then on Saturday against No. 16 Embry-Riddle at 2 p.m.  The women's team will face Lee on Friday at 2 p.m., and then battle No. 16 Embry-Riddle on Saturday at 2 p.m.  The Lander men's match and the Lee matches were rescheduled to this week from earlier in the season due to inclement weather.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats of the matches at vstateblazers.com on the men's and women's tennis schedule pages.  Check back following the matches for complete recaps of each match.  
 
The Blazer men's team is coming off a 7-0 win at Montevallo last Wednesday to improve to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in Gulf South Conference play.  The Falcons put up a good fight as four of the six matches went to three sets after VSU easily swept all three doubles courts, dropping just eight games total in the three matches.  
 
Blazer junior Takeshi Taco is sixth nationally in singles with a 14-4 record overall, while he is 7-2 this spring.  Junior Boruch Skierkier is 13-1 this year and 9-0 this spring as he is 11^th nationally, while senior Luca Mack is 7-2 this spring and is 30^th nationally.  In doubles, Skierkier and sophomore Jan Skerbatis are 31^stnationally and are 5-0 this spring at the No. 3 spot in doubles.  
 
Lander is 8-0 this season and 1-0 in the Peach Belt Conference and is coming off a 6-1 win over USC Sumter on Mar. 14.  Doubles duo of Hugo Regner and Matthew De Groot are 11-7 this year and are 25^thnationally.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series 7-5, but Lander snapped a seven-match losing skid in the last meeting on Feb. 2, 2020, in Valdosta, 4-3.  Prior to that match, the teams had not met since 2007.  
 
Lee enters with a 5-1 record and a 1-1 mark in the GSC on the men's side and will play at Young Harris on Tuesday, before heading to Valdosta for Friday's match.  Lee has won its last three matches following a 5-2 loss to West Florida on Feb. 24.  This season, Wihan Van Der Merwe is 62^nd nationally in singles with a 9-2 record this year.  In doubles, Francisco Faria and Filipe Krohn Da Silva are 44^th nationally with a 5-2 record.  
 
The Blazers are 14-0 against Lee since Mar. 29, 2014, and won both meetings last season, including a 5-2 decision during the regular season and a 4-0 win in the conference tournament.  Each of the last four regular season meetings all have been 5-2 decisions.  
 
ERAU enters the week with an 8-2 record and a 1-1 mark in the Sunshine State Conference.  The Eagles will face Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Lynn prior to visiting VSU on Saturday.  In singles, Joshua Nuyts is 24^thnationally with a 12-5 record and a 7-2 mark in dual matches this spring.  Safar Rasulov is 47^th nationally and is 12-5 this season 7-3 in dual matches, while Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo is 67^th in singles and 11-2 this year, while going 8-0 this spring.  In doubles, Fernando Alonso and Caelan Potts are 15^th nationally and 4-1 this year, while Michele Iftimie and Nuyts are 34^th nationally with a 4-2 record.  
 
The series with the Eagles is tied 4-4 as ERAU won 5-2 in Daytona Beach, Fla., in the previous meeting on Feb. 18, 2022.  VSU won the previous two matches prior to that in 2019 and 2020.  
 
On the women's side, the Blazers improved to 3-5 on the year and 2-0 in GSC play with the 6-1 win at Montevallo last Wednesday.  In that match, VSU won all three doubles matches, dropping just three games total.  In singles, junior Natalie Rainke battled back from a 4-6 loss in the opening set, for a 6-1, 6-1 win, while each of the other four VSU wins in singles were in straight-sets. 
 
This spring, junior Kayla Greco and freshman Denisa Hanakova are 5-2 to lead the team in singles, while Greco and fellow junior Olivia Pezo are 5-2 in doubles, while Rainke and freshman Aneta Poborilova are 5-2 also.  
 
Lee enters with a 6-1 record overall and a 2-1 mark in GSC play and will play Young Harris on Tuesday, prior to heading to Titletown for Friday's match.  Ashleigh Simes is 11-1 this season in singles and ranked 66^thnationally.  

VSU leads the series 11-1 since Mar. 29, 2014, but the Lady Flames won the last meeting 5-2 in Cleveland, Tenn., on Mar. 29, 2023.  VSU won 6-1 in Valdosta on Mar. 5, 2022, in the previous meeting in Titletown.  
 
Embry-Riddle enters with an 8-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the SSC.  The Eagles will face Saint Leo on Wednesday before Saturday's match in Valdosta. ERAU is coming off a 4-3 loss to No. 13 Midwestern State (Texas) on Mar. 12.  This season, Itxaso Blanco Fernandez De Lecta is 9-5 and No. 48 nationally in singles to lead the team.  She and Laura Cuesta Bret are 23^rd nationally in doubles.  Cuesta Bret is 10-4 this season, while Carlo Cabero del Hierro is 10-3 and Jessica Christa Wira Hadipoernomo is 13-1 and a perfect 10-0 in dual matches.  In doubles, she and Kaylee Krivong are 10-1.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series 5-3 and won 4-3 in Daytona Beach on Feb. 18, 2022 in the last meeting. ERAU won its last time in Valdosta, 5-2, on Feb. 28, 2020.