VALDOSTA, Ga. – Following an appearance in the Gulf South Conference Championship against No. 1 ranked West Florida, the Valdosta State men’s tennis team was honored in a big way this week with multiple All-GSC honors, including the announcement of Leo Blay as the GSC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year by the league office on Wednesday.
After receiving the most votes of any player by league coaches in the 2017 poll, junior Leo Blay earned the title of GSC Player of the Year. The honor for Blay, who earned Freshman of the Year honors in 2015, marked the second consecutive season during which the Nice, France native earned the prestigious Player of the Year honor. The award came as a result of an incredible 12-3 stint on the season in the No. 1 singles position for the Blazers. Blay currently ranks No. 10 among all of Division II’s players, according to the individual ITA singles rankings, and his efforts at doubles led to 11 wins against just 7 losses at both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
Joining Blay as a First Team All-GSC selection was Jordi Mas out of Premia de Dalt, Spain, who delivered a 15-4 overall record in singles play. A majority of Mas’ success came at No. 2, where he posted a 7-1 record and recently vaulted himself into the national rankings at No. 40 among the nation’s top 50 Division II singles players. In addition, the sophomore racked up 16 doubles wins with just three losses at both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
Xavier Pineda also earned a spot among the First Team honorees with an 8-5 singles record. Pineda’s most productive work came at No. 3 singles, where the young sophomore won four matches and lost just once. His work alongside Blay led to a 9-6 record in doubles play with split time at No. 2 and No. 3. The honor for Pineda marked his first career All-GSC award.
Finally, Fernando Rivas made a Second Team All-GSC appearance for the second consecutive season. The junior out of Madrid, Spain went 9-8 on the season overall and posted a 4-3 record in singles play, primarily at No. 4. Rivas dominated in doubles play throughout the 2017 regular season with a 16-3 run overall and a perfect 8-0 mark against Gulf South Conference opponents. At No. 2, Rivas teamed up with Mas for a notable 9-1 record.
The Blazers secured a spot in the NCAA Division II National Tournament after earning a No. 3 ranking in the final South Regional rankings released earlier this week. As such, Valdosta State will square off against No. 6 Rollins in Miami, Fla., where No. 2 ranked Barry will host the opening round of tournament action. The Blazers and the Tars are scheduled to square off on Saturday, April 29th at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned to www.vstateblazers.com for results and coverage links as postseason play continues.
