FLORENCE - The No. 7-ranked Lander men's tennis team saw its 11-match win streak come to an end Sunday when the Bearcats fell to No. 4-ranked Armstrong State, 5-2, in the finals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament hosted by Francis Marion at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center. Earlier Sunday, the Bearcats advanced to the championship match with a 5-2 win over third-seeded and No. 20 ranked Georgia College, 5-2, in the semifinal round.
Second-seeded Lander moves to 15-3 overall and will learn this week whether it will earn a berth into the national tournament. Top-seeded Armstrong is now 20-4 overall and Georgia College is 13-8.
Against Armstrong in doubles, No. 1 Adam Jonsson/Loic Minery (L) def. Marek Pesicka/Otakar Lucak (A) 8-5; No. 2 Pablo Gor/Ignacio Hernandez (A) def. Thibaut Leoussoff/Marc Hofer (L) 8-2; and No. 3 Benjamin Salle/Samuel Poutignat (L) def. Luca Cerin/Damian Okrutny (A) 8-4.
In singles, No. 1 Fernando Bogajo (A) def. Marc Hofer (L) 6-1, 6-2; No. 2 Pablo Gor (A) def. #44 Benjamin Salle (L) 6-2, 6-1; No. 3 Otakar Lucak (A) def. Loic Minery (L) 6-4, 6-2; No. 4 Luca Cerin (A) vs. Thibaut Leoussoff (L) 4-6, 6-2, 3-0, unfinished; No. 5 Jan Porteset (A) vs. Adam Jonsson (L) 7-5, 2-6, 2-1, unfinished; and No. 6 Ignacio Hernandez (A) def. Diego Zegarra (L) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
Against Georgia College in doubles, No. 1 Adam Jonsson/Loic Minery (L) def. Vincent Castermans/Yannick Hass (GC) 8-3; No. 2 Jannik Kumbier/Taylor Powell (GC) def. Thibaut Leoussoff/Marc Hofer (L) 8-5; and No. 3 Benjamin Salle/Samuel Poutignat (L) def. Mattia Campus/Pedro Ecenarro (GC) 8-6.
In singles, No. 1 Yannick Hass (GC) def. Marc Hofer (L) 6-2, 6-4; No. 2 Benjamin Salle (L) def. Vincent Castermans (GC) 6-3, 6-4; No. 3 Loic Minery (L) vs. Jannik Kumbier (GC) 6-3, 4-5, unfinished; No. 4 Thibaut Leoussoff (L) def. Pedro Ecenarro (GC) 6-3, 6-4; No. 5 Adam Jonsson (L) def. Anton Waern (GC) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0; and No. 6 Samuel Poutignat (L) vs. Taylor Powell (GC) 5-7, 3-2, unfinished.