Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's tennis team came up short in a 5-2 Southern Conference loss to the Samford Bulldogs on Monday afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center.

Furman drops to 7-11 on the season and 1-1 in SoCon play. With the win, Samford improves to 9-8 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

In doubles, the Bulldogs won two of the three matches to claim the point and take a 1-0 lead. Furman jumped ahead quickly by winning the No. 2 match when Jerry Barton and Elijah Poritzky defeated Moha Ali Bellalouna and Matthew Gooch 6-2. Samford responded by capturing the No. 1 and No. 3 matches to secure the doubles point.

The Bulldogs followed in singles play by capturing victories at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 for the 5-2 win. In the No. 1 match, Barton recorded his team-leading seventh win of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Bellalouna. Connor Laymon, playing at No. 6, held off Santiago Arredondo 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6).

The Paladins are back in action this weekend, April 1-2, traveling to Chattanooga and East Tennessee State.

Fans can follow Saturday's match at Chattanooga on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Updates will be posted on the Furman men's tennis Twitter page (@FurmanMTennis).