BOX SCORE

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The second-seeded Samford men's tennis team earned a 4-1 win over seventh-seeded Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament Friday morning at the Baylor School Indoor Courts.
 
The match was moved indoors due to heavy rain in the Chattanooga area.
 
With the win, Samford advances to the tournament semifinals, where the Bulldogs will take on Furman Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT). The Bulldogs have now won eight matches in a row, and they improve their season record to 13-4. Chattanooga ends its season with a mark of 7-15.
 
In Friday's match, Chattanooga jumped out to an early lead, taking the doubles point, two matches to one. Samford's lone doubles win came at No. 3, where Fares Kilani and Justin Ghavami defeated Michael Birnbaum and Nick Wingord, 6-3.
 
Despite the early setback, Samford came back to win the first four singles matches to secure the 4-1 win. The first singles match to finish was at the No. 2 court, where Trey Carter defeated Luke Saunders, 6-1, 6-2.
 
Samford took the lead for good when Ghavami defeated Wingord, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3. Kilani then earned a 6-3, 7-5 win over Lucas Plesky at No. 1 singles to make the score 3-1. The match was clinched at the No. 4 position when Leonard Gerch defeated John Peacey, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
 
To follow each match in the tournament via live stats, click on the following link: SOCON TOURNAMENT CENTRAL.
 
Samford 4, Chattanooga 1
 
Singles competition
1. Fares Kilani (SAM-M) def. Lucas Plesky (UTC) 6-3, 7-5
2. Trey Carter (SAM-M) def. Luke Saunders (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Justin Ghavami (SAM-M) def. Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3, 6-4
4. Leonard Gerch (SAM-M) def. John Peacey (UTC) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Paul LaHue (UTC) vs. Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM-M) no result
6. Derrick Brown (UTC) vs. Jake Faundez (SAM-M) no result
 
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Plesky/Luke Saunders (UTC) def. Leonard Gerch/Trey Carter (SAM-M) 7-5
2. John Peacey/Derrick Brown (UTC) def. Jake Faundez/Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM-M) 7-6
3. Fares Kilani/Justin Ghavami (SAM-M) def. Michael Birnbaum/Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3