BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- No 3 seed Furman shocked No. 2 seed Samford, 4-2, in the semifinals of the 2021 Southern Conference Championships Friday at the Hoover Met Complex in Birmingham, Ala.  

The Paladins, who avenged a 7-0 regular season loss to the Bulldogs, advance to the finals of the league championships for the third-consecutive time and for the sixth time in the last seven seasons the championships were contested.  Furman (10-11, 5-2 SoCon) will square off against top-seeded ETSU Saturday at 4 p.m. with the winner earning the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

The Bulldogs (13-8, 6-1 SoCon) won two out of three doubles matches to claim the first point.  Victor Chaw and Jim Hendrix, who rank 33rd nationally, blanked 90th ranked seniors Jake Bhangdia and Henrik Atlevi, 6-0, at flight one, and Eladio Fabregas and Tomas Santantonio held off freshman Ben Cahill and senior Ivan Mitric, 6-4, at number two.  The flight three match was unfinished, with senior Drew Singerman and freshman Emil Westling tied at 5-all with Roussouw Norval and Mohammed Ali Bellalouna.

In singles action, Samford moved ahead 2-0 after Henrix defeated Westling, 6-1, 6-2, at flight four, but the Paladins roared back to win four consecutive singles points for the victory.  Junior James Roelofse topped Bellalouna, 7-5, 6-1, at flight six, then Mitric downed Norval, 6-4 6-1, at flight one,  At number three, Atlevi outlasted Fabregas, 7-6(4), 6-2, and Singerman recorded a 6-1, 6-2 advantage over Santantonio at number five.

The match at flight two was unfinished, with Bhangdia leading Chaw, 7-6 (7-4), 2-1.

Live results from Saturday's championship final will be available at www.furmanpaladins.com.

Furman 4, Samford 2

Singles competition

1. Ivan Mitric (FUR) def. Roussouw Norval (SAM) 6-4, 6-1

2. Jake Bhangdia (FUR) vs. Victor Chaw (SAM) 7-6 (7-4), 2-1, unfinished

3. Henrik Atlevi (FUR) def. Eladio Fabregas (SAM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2

4. Jim Hendrix (SAM) def. Emil Westling (FUR) 6-2, 6-2

5. Drew Singerman (FUR) def. Tomas Santantonio (SAM) 6-1, 6-2

6. James Roelofse (FUR) def. M.A. Bellalouna (SAM) 7-5, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. #33 Victor Chaw/Jim Hendrix (SAM) def. #89 Jake Bhangdia/Henrik Atlevi (FUR) 6-0

2. Eladio Fabregas/Tomas Santantonio (SAM) def. Ben Cahill/Ivan Mitric (FUR) 6-4

3. Drew Singerman/Emil Westling (FUR) vs. Roussouw Norval/M.A. Bellalouna (SAM) 5-5, unfinished

Match Notes: Samford 13-8 • Furman 10-11

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