COLUMBIA, S.C.  –  The No. 20 Florida State men’s tennis team kicked off its NCAA Team Championship run with a 4-0 sweep over Samford. The Seminoles advance to the second round for a seventh consecutive season.

Jamie Connel and Jan Sebesta debuted on Court 2 and rose to the occasion of the postseason with a 6-1 performance to secure their sixth career win. Court 1 featured the debut of All-Americans Youcef Rihane and Joshua Dous-Karpenschif as a pairing, and they stormed away quickly to win 6-2 to seal the doubles point.

Corey Craig began his tournament with a dominant display on Court 1. The No. 14 player in the nation blanked his opponent in the first set 6-0 before cruising away to a 6-2 second frame and made a statement. Craig won his first career singles match in NCAA Championship play.

Close behind, Youcef Rihane found his rhythm on Court 5 and pushed out to a large lead before clinching the first frame 6-2. The senior’s form continued into the next set, securing a 6-1 second set to put the Seminoles within touching distance. Rihane won his first match of the season on Court 5, becoming the only player on the team with singles wins on Courts 3-6.

After dropping the first set on Court 3, Erik Schiessl rebounded with a fiery comeback. Schiessl cruised through the second set 6-2 before dealing out another crushing 6-1 frame to seal the sweep. The sophomore claimed his first NCAA Championship match victory as a Seminole and clinched the team match point in two of the last three matches.

The Seminoles are 16-0 against teams ranked outside the top 25 and have claimed 10 match sweeps this campaign.

Florida State advanced to the NCAA Team Championship second round and registered its 22nd victory as a program in the competition. FSU will await the winner of South Carolina/VCU. The second round duel is slated for Saturday at 10 a.m. Live video and stats will be available on Seminoles.com.

#20 Florida State 4, Samford 0

Singles Competition: 

#14 Corey Craig (FSU) def. Sandeep Mohandoss (SAMF) 6-0, 6-2

#44 Jamie Connel (FSU) vs. Darcy Nicholls (SAMF) 1-6, 7-5, 1-0, unfinished

Erik Schiessl (FSU) def. Hayden Menon (SAMF) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1

Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) vs. J.B. Pickard (SAMF) 7-6 (6), 3-2, unfinished

Youcef Rihane (FSU) def. Sebastian Harrison (SAMF) 6-2, 6-1

Azariah Rusher (FSU) vs. Will Gray (SAMF) 5-7, 3-4, unfinished

Doubles Competition:

Youcef Rihane/Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) def. J.B. Pickard/Darcy Nicholls (SAMF) 6-2

Jamie Connel/Jan Sebesta (FSU) def. Santiago Arredondo/Sandeep Mohandoss (SAMF) 6-1

Corey Craig/Erik Schiessl (FSU) vs. Vitorio Sardinha/Sebastian Harrison (SAMF) 3-3, unfinished

Florida State (19-8, 9-4 ACC) | Stanford (19-6, 6-1 Southern)

Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 1); Singles (1, 5, 3)

For more information on the Florida State men’s tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at Florida State Men’s Tennis (FB) and FSUMTennis (IG and X).