Samford wins first SoCon tournament title since 2013

Chattanooga, Tenn. - In a tightly contested Southern Conference tennis match Saturday afternoon at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, No. 3 seeded Samford secured a narrow 4-3 victory over No. 5 seeded Furman.

Furman claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 courts. Samford started strong with Santiago Arredondo and Sandeep Mohandoss defeating Cole Burnam and Connor Layman at No. 2 doubles, 6-2. Furman's teams at No. 1 and No. 3 positions both prevailed in tiebreakers. Elijah Poritzky and Matt Kandel won 7-6, 7-3 at No. 1 over J.B. Pickard and Darcy Nicholls, while Nico Snyder and Nicolas Dispas secured a 7-6, 7-4 victory at No. 3 over Victorio Sardinha / Sebastian Harrison.

Samford quickly responded in singles play with Will Gray triumphing over Connor Laymon 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 6 position, followed by Sebastian Harrison defeating Nico Snyder 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5 to give Samford a 2-1 lead.

The Bulldogs extended their advantage when Hayden Menon beat John Rado 6-4, 7-5 at No. 3 singles. Furman's Elijah Poritzky kept the Paladins alive with a straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 win over Sandeep Mohandoss at No. 1 singles, narrowing Samford's lead to 3-2.

Matt Kandel battled through a three-set thriller at No. 2 singles, ultimately prevailing over Darcy Nicholls 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-2 to level the match at 3-3.

The decisive match came at No. 4 singles where Samford's J.B. Pickard rallied to defeat Walker Allen 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, clinching the 4-3 team victory for the Bulldogs.

Samford, which earned a piece of the regular season title, finished with a 19-5 overall record. The Bulldogs were in the title match for the third time in three years and claimed their first tournament title since 2013.

Nicholls won the Pinnacle Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team. The Junior from Warragul, Australia maintains a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Law, Politics, and Society.

The Bulldogs, who earned the SoCon’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships, will learn their postseason opponent on Monday, April 28, with an announcement on NCAA.com at 5:30 p.m.

Singles
1. Elijah Poritzky (FUR) def. Sandeep Mohandoss (SAMM) 6-4, 6-4
2. Matt Kandel (FUR) def. Darcy Nicholls (SAMM) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-2
3. Hayden Menon (SAMM) def. John Rado (FUR) 6-4, 7-5
4. J.B. Pickard (SAMM) def. Walker Allen (FUR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
5. Sebastian Harrison (SAMM) def. Nico Snyder (FUR) 6-3, 6-2
6. Will Gray (SAMM) def. Connor Laymon (FUR) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles
1. Elijah Poritzky/Matt Kandel (FUR) def. J.B. Pickard/Darcy Nicholls (SAMM) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Santiago Arredondo/Sandeep Mohandoss (SAMM) def. Cole Burnham/Connor Laymon (FUR) 6-2
3. Nico Snyder/Nicolas Dispas (FUR) def. Victorio Sardinha/Sebastian Harrison (SAMM) 7-6 (7-4)

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,5,3,1,2,4)  

2025 SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 17
Match 1: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 The Citadel 0
Match 2: No. 5 Furman 4, No. 4 Chattanooga 3
Match 3: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 UNCG 1
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer 4, No. 7 Wofford 0
 
Friday, April 18
Match 5: No. 5 Furman 4, No. 1 ETSU 3
Match 6: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 2 Mercer 0
 
Saturday, April 19
Match 7: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 5 Furman3