COLUMBUS, GA – The 26th-ranked and sixth-seeded Francis Marion University men's tennis team looked poised to spring an upset of fourth-ranked and third-seeded Lander University as doubles play neared completion, but the Bearcats rallied to claim those first three points and went on to capture a 5-0 win over the Patriots, Saturday afternoon (May 7) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional #2 in Columbus, Ga.

Francis Marion ends its season with a 15-10 record, but will lose only one senior who played during the 2016 campaign.  The Patriots' 15 wins represented a six-win improvement over the team's 2015 victory total.  The NCAA appearance was the first for any of the Patriots in Saturday's line-up.

FMU led late in all three of the doubles matches, but Lander (18-5) rallied to earn an 8-6 decision at the No.2 position, a 9-7 win at No.3, and a 9-8 victory at No.1 – a match that was decided by a 9-7 tie-breaker.  The All-Conference doubles team of Richard Ashforth and Philipp Sluga played No.1 for the Patriots, but was bested by slightest of margins by the eight-ranked duo of Marc Hofer and Loic Minery in the marathon contest.

In singles action, Lander closed out the match with straight-sets wins at the No.6 and No. 3 spots. FMU freshman Philipp Sluga had split sets with 14th-ranked Hofer at No.2 singles and was leading 1-0 in the third set when the match ended.