CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Samford University men's tennis team claimed its second consecutive Southern Conference tournament championship Saturday afternoon, defeating top-seeded East Tennessee State 4-2 at the Champions Club in Chattanooga. The victory marks the program's fourth conference title overall.

Entering as the No. 2 seed, the Bulldogs set the tone early in doubles play. Lukas Dvorak and Cooper Errey opened the scoring with a 6-4 win on court three, and Sebastian Harrison and Vitorio Sardinha clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory on court two to give Samford the early edge.

Singles play proved competitive, with Darcy Nicholls providing Samford's first point of the afternoon, a commanding 6-1, 6-3 win on court two. After ETSU knotted the match at 2-2, Sandeep Mohandoss delivered a pivotal performance, handing SoCon Player of the Year Oscar Martinez only his second loss of the season in a gutsy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Dvorak then clinched the championship with a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 5 spot. Nicholls was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and also received the Pinnacle Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team. 

As SoCon champions, Samford has earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. The Bulldogs will learn their postseason draw Monday, April 27, when the NCAA announces the bracket at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest news and information on Samford men's tennis, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at samfordsports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /samfordsports (Facebook) and @samford_MTennis (Twitter).