Men's Tennis Finishes Strong
After wonderful ceremony prior to match; seniors go out winners
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Riding the momentum of strong doubles play to open the match, the Bryant University men's tennis team closed out its best season of Division I with a 7-0 win over visiting Brandeis University Thursday afternoon at a blustery and cold Bryant Tennis Courts Complex.
The win over Brandeis concludes Bryant's third season of Division I with a 15-6 overall record and marked the final match for a senior class that has been instrumental in the program's transition to Division I.
The Bulldogs went 6-0 against Northeast Conference competition this year – including two wins over conference champion Sacred Heart - and registered huge wins over Stony Brook and Villanova.
Prior to Thursday's match, head coach Ron Gendron, along with University President Ron Machtley and First Lady Kati Machtley, recognized those seniors who played such a pivotal role: Cristian Balestrieri (Mar Del Plata, Argentina), Nicholai Hill (Ottawa, Ontario), Peter Hart Callahan(Haverford, Pa.) and Juan Martin Paredes (Quito, Ecuador).
Balestrieri was perhaps the most successful of the quartet and leaves his mark as one of the program's all-time best. The senior won 54 matches during his four year career including 37 playing at No. 1 singles.
Bryant University 7, Brandeis 0
1. Cristian Balestrieri (BRYM) def. Nick White (BRANDEIS) 2-3, retired
2. Peter Hart Callahan (BRYM) def. Dave Yovanoff (BRANDEIS) 6-3, 7-5
3. Dana Parziale (BRYM) def. Ezra Bernstein (BRANDEIS) 0-6, 6-0, 7-5
4. Nolan Gelman (BRYM) def. Josh Jordan (BRANDEIS) 6-1, 6-1
5. Nicholai Hill (BRYM) def. Steven Nieman (BRANDEIS) 6-3, 7-6 (4-0)
6. Vidith Huot (BRYM) def. Adam Brown (BRANDEIS) 6-2, 6-0
1. Gelman/ Callahan (BRYM) def. Bernstein/ Yovanoff (BRANDEIS) 8-4
2. White/ Nieman (BRANDEIS) def. Hill/Connor Crowley (BRYM) 8-6
3. Balestrieri/ Parziale (BRYM) def. Michael DeFeo/ Jordan (BRANDEIS) 9-8
Match Notes:
Brandeis 10-7
Bryant University 15-6
T-3:45 A-65