COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Augusta State vaulted out to a big lead, gave it all back, and then rallied for a dramatic 5-4 victory over Columbus State in the third round of the NCAA Southeast Regional at the Mary V. Blackmon Tennis Center on the CSU campus.

With the victory, the sixth-seeded and 12th-ranked Jaguars (17-9) equaled their most wins in a season since 2007 and also earned a trip to the Round of 16 in Louisville, Ky. The Cougars, ranked No. 8 in the nation and seeded No. 2 in the regional, saw their season come to an end at 23-4.

ASU returns to action May 16-19 at the NCAA National Championships at the Top Gun Tennis Academy in Louisville, Ky., as a part of the 2012 NCAA DII Spring Championship Festival.

The Jags' No. 1 doubles team of Bernardo Fernandes and Henrique Boturao put ASU on the board with an 8-5 victory. The Victors – Cabellos and Guimaraes – won 8-3 at No. 2 and when Jenner Stevenson and Jan Labas claimed an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles, the Jags were staked to a 3-0 lead heading into singles.

The Cougars clawed back in the match, pulling even at 3-all with wins at No. 4, No. 3 and No. 6 singles. Fernandes put ASU back in front with a straight sets win (6-3, 6-2) at No. 1 singles before CSU's Gordan Divljak knotted the match at 4-all with a win at No. 2 singles over the Jags' Boturao.

Down to the final match, ASU's Guimaraes battled back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to win 7-5, 6-3 and send the Jags to their first trip to the NCAA Championships.

2012 NCAA Southeast Regional -- Third Round
No. 12 Augusta State 5, No. 8 Columbus State 4 
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Columbus, Ga. (Mary V. Blackmon Tennis Center)