BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Depth and determination carried Southeastern University back to the championship stage. The Fire men's tennis team claimed all three of the lower singles matches to knock off No. 9-ranked SCAD-Savannah, 4-1, in the Sun Conference Semifinals on Thursday, avenging their only loss of the season and advancing to their third title match in four years.
Tied 1-1 after doubles and an early singles result, Javier Gallego and Mark Griffin notched convincing wins at No. 4 and No. 5 singles to give SEU a 3-1 lead. Gonzalo Fernandez then delivered the clinching point at No. 6, rallying after dropping the second set to defeat Ahmed Abdelaziz 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 and send the Fire (16-1) into Friday's championship.
The victory was sweet revenge for SEU, who had fallen to the Bees just 12 days prior in a tight 4-3 decision on the road. With Thursday's result, Southeastern earns a rematch of last year's title match.
Awaiting them in the final is NAIA No. 3-ranked Keiser University. Southeastern edged Keiser 4-3 in a thrilling regular-season clash on March 22, their first win in the series. However, the Seahawks have ended SEU's tournament run in each of the past three seasons, including semifinal exits in 2021 and 2023, and finals defeats in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
The Sun Conference Championship match is set for tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Match Recap:
Doubles Play:
The Fire claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
SCAD-Savannah evened the score at 1-1 when Jaupart was awarded a win at No. 3 singles due to Orihuela retiring early in the match.
Singles Play:
From there, the Fire dominated the lower singles courts:
- Gallego cruised past Diego Fernandez 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4.
- Griffin followed with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Patricio Medrano at No. 5.
- Gonzalo Fernandez, a freshman, sealed the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 6.
Unfinished Matches:
- At No. 1 singles, Piero Fernandez rallied after losing a first-set tiebreak (6-7 [5]), taking the second set 6-3 before SCAD's Ozernoy won the opening game of the third set.
- At No. 2, Diego Menendez and Tryakshin were locked in a battle, with Tryakshin leading 3-2 in the third after the two had split the first two sets (6-4, 2-6).
