The Valdosta State men’s tennis team picked up a much-needed victory against the No. 3-ranked Armstrong State Pirates with a thrilling 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon in Savannah.

After scoring a pair of doubles matches, the Blazers needed just three wins in singles action, and Leo Blay got the Blazers off on the right foot with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 rout of No. 28 ranked Luca Cerin at No. 1.

Xavier Pineda fell, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 to No. 4 ranked Alberto Caceres at court No. 2, but Jordi Mas retaliated with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph at No. 3 against No. 22 ranked Ignacio Hernandez. Fernando Rivas kept the momentum going and gave the Blazers the win they needed at No. 4 with a 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 win against Bjorn Kurtze.

Axel Holm and Eden Peleg teamed up at No. 1 doubles to take down the nation’s No. 5 ranked doubles contingent of Caceres and Jan Porteset with an 8-3 victory, and Mas joined Rivas for a critical 8-4 win against Lorenzo Camilli and Alvaro Cruz Chomorro at No. 3.

The match concluded a strenuous weekend of nationally ranked competition and will lead the Blazers into their next scheduled matchup, a midweek showdown with Midwestern State on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Valdosta.