Yim Kim gave the Valdosta State men’s tennis team the lead at No. 4, completing a 5-3 comeback win against West Alabama and advancing to the Gulf South Conference championship match at Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday.

The No. 11 Blazers (17-3) play top-seeded West Florida at noon today in Montgomery, Ala.

With the match tied at 3, Kim’s 6-3, 6-3 victory against Andrii Stratiienko gave VSU the go-ahead score. The match rested on the shoulders of Stewart at No. 6, and after winning the first set, 6-3, the Valdosta native fell in the second set, 4-6. In the final set, Stewart slipped to a score of 0-3 before mounting a comeback and clinching the match with a 6-4 set win against Sinkko.

The Blazers faced unfavorable results across the board in doubles action to open up the day. No. 13 ranked Julius Kaverinen and Linus Holthey handled No. 20 Jordi Mas and Florian Simbozel with an 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles, before Henrik Sinkko and Stratiienko toppled Fernando Rivas and Francisco Kim, 8-6, at No. 2.

After a quick 8-3 victory for Anton Lof and Erick Nordblom against Axel Holm and Davis Stewart at No. 3, the day looked bleak for the Blazers, as they fell behind 3-0.

The Blazers regained their composure, however, and went to work in singles action, starting with a 6-1, 6-3 victory for Rivas against Nordblom at No. 3. Shortly after, Simbozel lived up to his new GSC Freshman of the Year title with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Holthey at No. 2, and Mas pulled the match even with a 6-2, 6-3 win against No. 23 ranked Kaverinen on Court 1.

The No. 34 ranked Tigers fell to 16-5 on the year.