ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - Brian deMontfort and C.J. Johnson helped give Florida Southern two doubles points, and both players went on to win straight-set singles matches to lead the Moccasins to a 5-0 win over Eckerd in the fifth-place match at the Sunshine State Conference Championships.
DeMontfort teamed up with Ivan Marevic for an 8-3 win at number one doubles, beating the nation's 20th-ranked team of Ben Maxwell and Hisa Sato. Johnson teamed up with Benoit Paradis at the number two position for an 8-4 win. Jorge Gutierrez and Nathan Leavitt made it a clean sweep in doubles with their 8-2 win at number three, leaving the Mocs (14-8) just two points shy of clinching the match.
It didn't take long either, as deMontfort finished off Erik Thunberg, 6-0, 6-0, and Johnson downed Aaron Kleefield, 6-2, 6-2. Leavitt was just one game away from ending his match in straight sets too, but play was halted there with Florida Southern already having the five points needed for a win.
The Tritons saw their season end with a 7-14 record, but the Moccasins are still in the running for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Those bids will be announced on Tuesday, April 26, with a total of nine teams being selected to play at two different South Region sites. Florida Southern was #7 in the rankings, followed by Saint Leo, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Alabama-Huntsville.
Lynn, the #3 team in the region and #2 seed in the SSC Tournament, won the SSC Championship with a 5-0 victory over Barry, the #2 team in the region and top seed in the conference tournament. Valdosta State out of the Gulf South Conference was ranked #1 in the South Region.
