Bears Fall To Visiting Samford In Regular Season Finale

Saturday, April 12

Macon, Ga.

11 a.m.

Mercer University

Samford

Bears Fall To Visiting Samford In Regular Season Finale

4/12/2025 4:08:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

By: Jassmyn Nesmith, Intern

MACON – Mercer gritted out a pair of triumphs in the early going to grab the key doubles point, but visiting Samford delivered four straight-sets wins in singles play to eke out a 4-3 win over the Bears on Senior Day at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center.

The setback snapped a school record-tying seven-match win streak for the Bears (11-7, 6-1 SoCon) who grabbed a share (East Tennessee State, Samford) of the first Southern Conference regular season title in program history. Samford (16-5, 6-1), likewise, earned a share of its program's first conference title as well.

Doubles play came down to the wire. Despite Isak Abalo Hod' Padio and junior Prince Amen Gandonou's 6-4 loss in the featured match, Mercer evened up doubles competition with a 6-4 win from Marceau Fouilhoux and junior Nemanja Stefanovic on Court No. 2. Howell Burns and sophomore Esteban Gasser Davila clinched the doubles point a short time later, however, with another 6-4 victory at No. 3 doubles.

Samford opened up singles play with a pair of straight-set victories on Court Nos. 2 and 4, but Stefanovic evened the match up again with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Sandeep Mohandoss. The Bulldogs surged ahead for good after that thanks to Hayden Menon's 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) win on Court No. 3. Sebastian Harrison's 7-5, 6-3 victory on Court No. 5 minutes later provided the match-clincher. but Gandonou dropped a tight 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

Mercer will be back in action again, April 17-19, when it heads to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2025 Southern Conference Championship. Pairings will be announced by the league office later Saturday evening.