VALDOSTA, Ga. – Following a rain delay before the match and one during it, the No. 5 Valdosta State men's tennis team won 4-1 over visiting No. 16 Embry-Riddle Saturday afternoon at the VSU Tennis Complex.  The Blazers improved to 9-2 on the year, while ERAU fell to 10-3. 
 
Due to the delays, the teams played just singles for the match and would then play doubles, if needed, unless a team clinched beforehand.  VSU got off on the right foot with freshman Jerome Iaconi winning 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 5 position for a 1-0 lead.  No. 8-ranked junior Takeshi Taco won at No. 2 over No. 34 Joshua Nuyts as the junior posted scores of 6-2 and 6-1 for a 2-0 lead.  The Blazers then made it 3-0 with a win by junior Boruch Skierkier at No. 3, who is ranked 12^th nationally.  He won 6-1, 6-4 over Michele Iftimie. 
 
ERAU got on the board at No. 6 singles as Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo battled back from a 5-7 loss in the opening set for a 6-4, 6-3 win the final two for a 3-1 score over sophomore Jan Skerbatis, but reigning Gulf South Conference Player of the Week, senior Luca Mack, had other ideas at the top spot.  Mack won the first set 6-2 over No. 39 Safar Rasulov and battled back from a 4-5 deficit in the second to force a tiebreaker where he won 9-7 to clinch the match. 
 
The Blazers will head to Pensacola, Ala., and return to GSC play where they will face West Alabama on Friday, Mar. 29 at 3 p.m. ET and then face West Florida on Saturday, Mar. 30 at 11 a.m. ET.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for all things Blazer men's tennis.