April 22, 2008

2008 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Tennis Tournament

Quarterfinal Round @ Smithfield, R.I.
#1 Bryant 9 vs. #8 Le Moyne 0

SMITHFIELD, RI - After posting one of the greatest wins in Bryant men's tennis history, a 5-4 win over No. 45 Mercy Sunday, the weary Bulldogs fought off a determined Le Moyne Dolphin team Tuesday afternoon for a 9-0 win in Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinal round action. The Bulldogs, the top seed of the conference tournament, will advance to face either Bentley or Saint Michael's Thursday at the Bryant Tennis Courts in the semifinals. 

Senior captains Craig Drushella and Kevin Levinson led the Bulldogs to victory at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.  The Bulldogs cruised through the first three doubles matches to take a 3-0 lead from the start. Freshman Cristian Balestrieri continued his dominance as the conference's clear super star.  Balestrieri came up with a huge win Sunday vs. Mercy and picked up two more wins Tuesday at No. 1 doubles and followed with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Le Moyne's Ryan Davidson at No. 1 singles. 

DOUBLES
1. Balistrieri /Gardiner (B) def. Davidson/Kosmoski (L), 8-4
2. Rodriguez / Nowak (B) def. Kerznowski/Patterson (L), 8-1
3. Shephard-Lupo / Whiting (B) def. Meeker / Jordan (L), 8-3

SINGLES
1. Cristian Balestrieri (B) def. Ryan Davidson (L), 6-0, 6-1
2. Jose Rodriguez (B) def. Kodi Kosmoski (L), 6-1, 6-1
3. Tom Nowak (B) def.  Jason Kerznowski (L), 2-6, 7-5, 1-0
4. Kevin Gardiner (B) def. Chris Meeker (L), 6-1, 6-1
5. Kevin Levinson (B) def. Josh Patterson (L), 6-1, 6-3
6. Craig Drushella (B) def. Ben Jordan (L), 3-6, 6-2, 1-0

Final Score:  Bryant 9, Le Moyne 0
Records:  Bryant 18-3,  Le Moyne 4-10