No. 20 Lander Advances With 5-1 Win Over No. 27 Augusta State

SAVANNAH, Ga. - No. 20-ranked Lander picked up a 5-1 win to advance to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Southeast Regional on Thursday afternoon, eliminating fellow PBC foe and No. 27-ranked Augusta State.

The win by the Bearcats (9-8) was their 45th in NCAA DII tournament history as Lander improved to 45-8 all-time in NCAA postseason play. The Jaguars (10-11) end their season after a third straight NCAA regionals berth.

Lander took a commanding 3-0 lead after doubles. Gary Bertoldo and Levan Clark notched a quick 8-1 win over Guilherme Ferraz and Rafael Milhati at No. 3 doubles. TC Valle and Sheharyar Wali then collected an 8-5 win over Bernardo Fernandes and Jenner Stevenson at No. 1 doubles, while Damien Cordesse and Juan Manrique completed the doubles sweep with an 8-5 win over Henrique Boturao and Frederico Mendes at No. 2 doubles.

Augusta State made it a match in singles, by winning four of the first six sets. Stevenson took advantage of a hobbled Cordesse to win, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 1 singles for the Jaguars' first point. But Valle notched a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ferraz at No. 4 singles, then Clark closed out the match with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Boturao at No. 2 doubles. 

Lander now advances to face host and defending DII national champion Armstrong Atlantic at 5:30 p.m. on Friday in second round action.