DELAND, Fla. - The ups and downs of nearly 18 hours of tennis and waiting that lingered over the ASUN Championship semifinals match between three-seed North Florida (14-10) and two-seed Liberty (12-11) was palpable.

But, when senior Sahil Deshmukh claimed match point in the third set of the decisive match at the one slot, the tension of the moment came out in a dog pile of jubilation as the Ospreys celebrated an incredible comeback from down 3-1, winning 4-3 to vault themselves into the finals.

The match began Friday at 5 p.m. but it had to be suspended at a 1-1 tie as heavy rains and wins circled into the area. Liberty opened the match and roared to a 1-0 lead after taking doubles. Nilo Duarte avenged a loss to Lipscomb the night before by being the first to finish in singles, evening things up before the match was suspended.

Both teams picked up the action at 10 a.m. the following morning, but within thirty minutes the Flames jumped out to a 3-1 advantage after taking slots five and six.

Those were the final points that the Flames would garner all year as UNF won three three-set matches at the top three slots.

Dominik Barton gave UNF some hope by winning at the second slot. After taking the first set 6-4, Liberty's Josh Wilson cruised to even up the match with a 6-0 blanking in the second. Barton was fiery in the third though, winning by a score of 6-4.

Till Von Winning evened up the match and set Deshmukh up for the win with a crucial comeback victory at three singles. Von Winning trailed, 1-0, and also got behind in the second set before downing Chase Burton in three.

Deshmukh claimed the first set by tiebreaker Friday night, a win that loomed large a day later. Liberty's Nicaise Muamba, the ASUN Men's Tennis Player of the Year, won via tiebreaker in the second but Deshmukh established a 4-0 advantage in the third to run away with the deciding set, 6-3.

"I think that the break was good for us and everyone showed up today," senior Sahil Deshmukh said. "We believed, last night we believed, we believed this morning and then it went our way. It was fun, we have a lot of different personalities. Everyone was determined today and we got down 3-1, but it feels good now."

Coach Lucas' Comments
"Wow, what a day. What a turnaround for the boys. We were definitely on our heels yesterday. They beat us down in doubles, but Nilo got us back on track. It was looking pretty dire, but obviously the weather rolled in and we were able to regroup and that was key for us. We came back to the hotel and had a heart-to-heart about what it means to be an Osprey and what that entails and how to compete. Proud is not a strong enough word for what I'm feeling about what they did today, coming back from down 3-1; our top three singles lines pulled it out. It was a total team effort. The energy that the boys brought on the side was amazing. Credit to my coaching staff and the job they did. We are just really excited about being able to defend the title, as that's something that we've been talking about since the beginning of the year. We got three new faces and they boys have come together. It's a great day to be an Osprey, and obviously with the women winning we can hopefully piggy back off of that. At the end of the day it was a great college tennis match and we were on the winning end of it and we are excited to play against one of our rivals in FGCU tomorrow." -- Head coach Matt Lucas

Notes

• UNF has reached the title match in four of the last five seasons.
• Deshmukh reached 20 singles wins on the year, joining Barton as the only other Osprey to reach that tally this season.
• The Ospreys surpassed their win total from last season with the win.
• Deshmukh has not lost a three-set match in dual singles play.

Singles Competition
1. Sahil Deshmukh (UNF) def. Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) 7-6, 6-7, 6-3
2. Dominik Barton (UNF) def. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4
3. Till Von Winning (UNF) def. Chase Burton (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. Ian Sturgill (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-2
5. Eddie Gutierrez (LIBERTYM) def. Jorge Nunez (UNF) 6-3, 6-3
6. Vince Salas (LIBERTYM) def. Federico Nani (UNF) 6-4, 7-5
 
Doubles Competition
1. Nicaise Muamba/Chase Burton (LIBERTYM) vs. Nilo Duarte/Sahil Deshmukh (UNF) 5-3, unfinished
2. Josh Wilson/Ian Sturgill (LIBERTYM) def. Jorge Nunez/Federico Nani (UNF) 6-4
3. Vince Salas/Steve Mundt (LIBERTYM) def. Dominik Barton/Till Von Winning (UNF) 6-2

Match Notes
North Florida 14-10
Liberty 12-11
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,5,6,2,3,1)
ASUN Tennis Tournament Men's Semifinal
Played supsended at 1-1 Friday night; resumed at 9 a.m. Saturday

Up Next
The title match against one-seed FGCU is set for 10 a.m. tomorrow.