VALDOSTA, Ga. – No. 2 Valdosta State claimed five of the first six points as the Blazers defeated No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic 5-4 in men’s tennis action at the VSU Tennis Courts Saturday.

The Blazers claimed all three points in doubles play, beginning with an 8-6 victory at No. 1 where eighth-ranked Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech defeated top-ranked Rafael Array and Mikk Irdoja. Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman also claimed an 8-6 win over Eudaldo Bonet and Paul Fitzgerald at No. 3 while the match of the day was played at No. 2.

Pirates Matus Mydla and Daniel Regan raced out to a 4-1 lead before No. 19 Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen fought back to take an 8-7 lead. The AASU duo regrouped to win the next game and grabbed a 6-4 lead in the tiebreak, but Dueren and Hansen claimed the final four points of the match for a 9-8 (6) victory to close out the VSU sweep in doubles.

Armstrong Atlantic got on the board as No. 37 Mydla defeated Lenhart 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles before No. 3 Packebusch closed the Blazers t within a point of victory with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 11 Bonet at No. 1. No. 25 Hansen posted the match winning point as he topped No. 7 Array 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 3.

AASU claimed the final three points of the day, two of which came in third set tie-breaker situations. Sixth-ranked Irdoja won at No. 2 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 over No. 2 Dueren while Regan topped Konstantin Kutschenko 1-6, 6-3, (13-11) at No. 5. Fitgerald closed out the match with a 7-6 (5), 4-6, (12-11) win over Kuech at No. 6.

With the victory, Valdosta State improved to 15-1 on the season while Armstrong Atlantic saw its 46 match winning streak snapped as it fell to 23-1.

Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 17 when it opens play in the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala.