SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Coming down to the final court, the No. 31 Converse University men's tennis team clinched a share of the Northwest Division title by defeating the No. 24 Belmont Abbey Crusaders 4-3 Saturday afternoon at the Rose.

With the win, Converse moves to 14-6 overall this season and 10-2 in Conference Carolinas action and clinches a share of the division title. Belmont Abbey falls to 21-17 and 10-1 in conference action this season.

Juniors Takuma Furumaki and Ben Hyde-Smith secured a 7-6 victory at No. 1 doubles, taking the tiebreaker 7-2. Senior Marty Letessier and sophomore Lucas Walker won 6-4 at No. 2 doubles to secure the point.

Letessier won his first set 6-4 at No. 1 singles, then fell by the same score in the second set. He secured the match with a 6-1 victory in his third set.

Sophomore Mathis Blary won 6-3, 6-4 against a nationally-ranked opponent at No. 2 singles.

Freshman James Hardy secured the match for the Valkyries with a 7-5, 7-6 victory at No. 5 singles, winning his second-set tiebreaker 7-5.

Next Up For Converse:
The Valkyries earned the third seed to the Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Championship. They face off against the winner of the six/seven matchup between Francis Marion and North Greenville on Thursday, April 23, at 9 A.M. at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter.

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