GREENWOOD – The No. 8-ranked Lander men's tennis team took a 3-1 lead and held off No. 15-ranked Flagler to score a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Joe Cabri Tennis Center. 

Lander (9-2, 3-0 PBC) opened the match with a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles by Axel Cronje and Adam Elliget. Flagler (9-4, 2-1 PBC) pulled even at No. 3, but Eirik Groner and Gabriel Couto sealed the doubles point at the No. 2 spot, winning 6-3 to give the Bearcats a 1-0 advantage. 

The Saints scored the first singles point of the day to tie the score, but a 6-2, 7-5 win by Couto at No. 4 and a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 rally from Cronje at No. 2 gave the Bearcats a 3-1 cushion. Flagler closed the gap to 3-2, but Thomas De Negri put the match away at No. 6, grinding out a 6-0, 6-7, 6-3 win to give Lander its fourth consecutive win. 

The Bearcats make the trip to Newberry Thursday afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. contest.