VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams travel to Pensacola, Fla., for key Gulf South Conference match ups Friday beginning with the men's match at 11 a.m. ET and the women's starting at 1 p.m. ET.  The Blazers then will travel to Brunswick, Ga., on Monday, Apr. 6 for makeup matches against Coastal Georgia at 2 p.m.
 
The Blazer women's team enters 16^th nationally with an 8-4 record overall and a perfect 4-0 mark in Gulf South Conference play.  VSU is coming off a pair of wins over Auburn Montgomery (5-2) and No. 47 Saint Leo (4-2).  The win over AUM clinched a spot for the Blazers in the upcoming Gulf South Conference Championship, set for Apr. 23-26 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.  
 
Looking at the conference standings on the women's side, MC is 6-0 in league play while VSU is 4-0 as the only undefeated teams.  MC has won 18-straight matches and is 18-0 on the year and ranked No. 7 nationally.  No. 2 West Florida is 4-1 in league play and 15-4 on the year, while No. 5 West Alabama is 1-1 in the GSC and 12-3 overall.  
 
Blazer sophomore Ivana Castillo Hurtado is 48^th nationally in singles and is 13-5 this year and 9-3 this spring at the No. 3 spot.  Senior Lena Beckx is 69^th nationally this year.  Blazer junior Charleigh Fay is 9-3 this spring at the No. 2 spot in the lineup and is 12-4 overall this year.  In doubles, Blazer No. 3 tandem of senior Carmelle Vial and junior Kitti Nemeth are 8-1 this year, while Fay and Castillo Hurtado are 7-2 at the No. 2 spot.   Overall, the Blazers have a 22-9 record in doubles this spring, while they are 40-29 in singles.  VSU has won the doubles point ten times in 12 matches this season and are 8-2 when winning the doubles point.  
 
The Choctaws enter as one of three teams in the top 50 undefeated with top-ranked Barry (13-0) and No. 22 Angelo State (13-0) as the others.  MC battles VSU on Friday and West Alabama on Apr. 8 to conclude league play.  VSU faces MC, followed by another trip to Pensacola Apr. 10-12, facing West Florida, West Alabama and Christian Brothers. 
 
For MC, Emily Buchanan is No. 2 nationally in singles at 21-3 this season, while Rocio Martinez Azcarraga is 60^th with a 15-6 record and Katharina Weber is 64^th at 16-3.  In doubles, Buchanan and Ann Cabot Stockett are second nationally at 17-3 to lead the team.  
 
Since 2015, MC has won seven of 11 meetings against VSU, including the last four and seven of eight.  VSU's last win came on Apr. 2, 2022, in Pensacola, Fla., with a 4-3 victory.
 
The Coastal Georgia match is a makeup match from earlier in the season.  The Coastal Georgia women's team is 9-5 overall and 1-3 in league play in NAIA.  Coastal Georgia is 20^th nationally in the latest rankings.  VSU owns a 1-0 record against Coastal Georgia with a 5-0 win in Valdosta on Feb. 22, 2025.  
 
On the men's side, the Blazers are 4-7 overall and 2-2 in GSC play heading into Friday's match.  The Blazers have had injuries this season and have not been able to fill all six singles matches each of the last two outings.  
 
Junior Philipp Bosse is 33^rd nationally in singles with a 9-4 record as the only Blazer ranked in this week's singles rankings released by the ITA.  Bosse is 6-2 this spring in singles as he is 4-1 at the top spot and 2-1 at the No. 2 position.  Junior Jerome Iaconi is 5-2 this spring at multiple spots in the lineup.  VSU has really struggled this year in doubles as it is a combined 5-21.  
 
The Blazers lead the all-time series with MC 14-0 since 2013 and beat the Choctaws twice last season, 5-2 in Montgomery, Ala., during the regular season and 4-0 in the conference championship semifinal match. 
 
The Choctaws enter with a 12-5 record overall and a 3-3 mark in league play and are coming off a 4-3 loss to Lee on Mar. 28.  MC currently is 18^th nationally and is led by Matias Ruiz who is 27^th nationally and 15-8 this year in singles.  Mattia Ricci is 54^th nationally and 9-7 overall.  In doubles, Ruiz and Ricci are sixth nationally at 12-3 this year to lead the team.  
 
The Coastal Georgia men's team is 10-4 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Conference and is ranked 16^th nationally in NAIA. VSU won 5-0 against Coastal Georgia on Feb. 22, 2025, in Valdosta in the only previous meeting.