Trojans meet Lander in men's D2 Southeast Regional tennis

By UMO Sports Information
Published in Sports on May 1, 2014 1:48 PM

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UMO

Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Conference Carolinas champion University of Mount Olive meets perennial powerhouse Lander (S.C.) University in opening-round play of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional II men's tennis tournament Saturday.

The sixth-seeded Trojans (18-1 overall) and third-seeded Bearcats (16-4) serve it up at noon on the Columbus State (Ga.) University courts. Second-seeded CSU meets South Atlantic member Wingate in the other first-round match.

The two winners play Sunday.

Mount Olive is making its second postseason appearance in the past three years and hasn't lost to a Division II opponent this season. Lander, meanwhile, is seeking its ninth national title in program history after winning eight straight from 1993-2000.

Four UMO players earned all-conference honors this season. Edgar Bub and Matt Finnerty each garnered first-team recognition, while Henric Falkenberg and Stanley Roffe received second-team accolades. Finnerty was named the MVP of the conference tournament.

Lander, which has appeared in 21 NCAA tournaments, shared the Peach Belt Conference regular-season crown. The Bearcats are one of seven PBC teams to advance to regional play this season.

Baseball

MOUNT OLIVE -- University of Mount Olive remained No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II Southeast Regional baseball poll.

The Trojans (40-11 overall) extended their win streak to 24 games with a come-from-behind, 10-9 victory over King (Tenn.) University in the Conference Carolinas tournament championship game Sunday.

Jay Gonzalez earned MVP honors with a 5-for-5 performance.

Mount Olive is ranked among the top 10 in three national polls -- fifth by College Baseball Lineup, seventh by Collegiate Baseball Magazine and 10th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Defending national champion Tampa (Fla.) and Peach Belt power Lander (S.C.) are 1-2, respectively, in all three polls. Lander is the Southeast Region's top-ranked team.

The final regional poll will be released May 7.

The Division II College World Series are May 24-31 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. UMO and Cary will co-host the eight-team tournament for the sixth consecutive season.

Men's lacrosse

MOUNT OLIVE -- A second-year program, the University of Mount Olive men's lacrosse team earned its first-ever national ranking -- No. 15 -- in the latest USILA Division II top 15 poll.

The Trojans received 16 points after sitting in the "others receiving votes" category for seven consecutive weeks.

Mount Olive concluded regular-season play 13-3 overall, and runners-up to national powerhouse Limestone (S.C.) in regular-season and tournament action. The Trojans posted two wins over Pfeiffer, which was ranked in the top 10 on each occasion.

The eight at-large bids for the NCAA Division II tournament will be unveiled Sunday evening.