MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 8-ranked Lander men's tennis team took an early 3-0 lead in a matchup of top-15 squads, overcoming No. 13-ranked Georgia College, 5-2, for a road victory in its Paech Belt Conference opener on Tuesday afternoon.

Lander (5-1, 1-0 PBC) cruised to a 1-0 lead behind a dominant performance at doubles. Ozan Cildir and Omar El-Moslemany won 6-1 at No. 3 and Axel Cronje and Adam Elliget clinched the point with a 6-3 win at No. 1. 

The Bearcats raced ahead of the Bobcats (4-1, 1-1 PBC) as Tommaso Rossin secured a 6-0, 6-0 win at the fourth slot, while El-Moslemany notched a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles. 

The teams traded points over the final four spots, with Aly Zaghloul staving off a comeback with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 6 and Cildir coming through with the clinching win at No. 2, rallying for a 4-6, 7-6, 10-5 victory. 

Lander travels to Augusta on Friday for the second leg of its three-match road trip.