DeLAND, Fla. – The No. 3 seeded University of North Florida men's tennis team battled No. 2 seeded Stetson in a back and forth match on Friday in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. The Hatters outlasted the Ospreys 4-2 in DeLand, Fla.

UNF rallied from a 1-0 deficit after the doubles portion to take a 2-1 lead as freshman Leonardo Nahar and junior Graham Edgar won at the No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. Nahar's 6-1, 6-1 win over Alex Hacket at #5 singles was the only match to be decided in two sets in the four-hour affair. Edgar fell behind in sets early, losing the first set 6-1 to Njal Stene. Edgar battled back though to take the next two sets, 6-3, 6-2.

Freshman Moritz Buerchner and Maksim Levanovich battled on court one as Buerchner took the first set 3-6. Levanovich came back to take the second set, 6-3 and held of Buerchner in the third set for a 6-4 win to take the point for the Hatters at No. 1 and tie the match at 2-2.

In the No. 4 singles Didrik Berg picked up the first set, 7-6(5), but freshman Taylor Albrecht rallied to take the second set, 6-2. Berg came back in the third though with a 6-1 win to give the Hatters a 3-2 lead in the match.

Junior Hleb Maslau played a close match at No. 3 against Cesare Gallo. Maslau fell behind 7-5 in the first set, but came back to take the second set, 6-4. Gallo outlasted Maslau in the third to take the point, 6-3 and secure the match for the Hatters.  

Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year, Daniel Sotomarino, faced Mark Mestan at No. 2, but the match was decided before the two finished. Sotomarino was leading Mestan after winning the first set, 6-4. The pair was tied 6-6 in the second set when the match was called.

Gallo and Levanovich won at No. 2 doubles with an 8-2 triumph over Albrecht and senior Kurt Gattiker while Mark Mesta and Stene secured the doubles point for Stetson with an 8-5 win over Buerchner and Nahar at No. 3.

UNF 2, Stetson 4

Singles
No. 1 – Maksim Levanovich (Stet) def. Moritz Buerchner (UNF) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 – Daniel Sotomarino (UNF) vs. Mark Mestan (Stet) 6-4, 6-6 unfinished
No. 3 – Cesare Gallo (Stet) def. Hleb Maslau (UNF) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
No. 4 – Didrik Berg (Stet) def. Taylor Albrecht (UNF) 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-1
No. 5 – Leonardo Nahar (UNF) def. Alex Hackett (Stet) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 – Graham Edgar (UNF) def. Njal Stene (Stet) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

Doubles
No. 1 – Maslau/Sotomarino (UNF) vs. Berg/Chris Swanteson (Stet) 7-5, unfinished
No. 2 – Gallo/Levanovich (Stet) def. Albrecht/Kurt Gattiker (UNF) 8-2
No. 3 – Mestan/Stene (Stet) def. Buerchner/Nahar (UNF) 8-5