Men's tennis battles #2 Baylor in NCAA First Round Friday (7 p.m.)

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SMITHFIELD, R.I. – For the second-straight season, the Bryant University men's tennis team will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament; this season the Bulldogs will battle second-seeded Baylor on Friday at 7 p.m. EST in Waco, Texas.

Last season, the Black and Gold duked it out with the number three overall seed Ohio St. in the opening round of the NCAA Championships, and one year later the road doesn't get any easier as Bryant heads to the Longhorn State to battle the #2 overall Baylor Bears, Friday night under the lights.

However, the road to this point was far from easy, as the Bulldogs endured their fair share of bumps and bruises along the way. Tasked with trying to navigate through one of the most difficult schedules in school history, the men's tennis program did not let a 0-8 start deter it from accomplishing its long-term goals. And under the guidance of three-time Northeast Conference Coach of the Year Ron Gendron, the Bulldogs did just that, winning eight of their final 11 matches including back-to-back wins at the NEC Championships to capture their second-straight league title.

Leading the way for the Black and Gold were senior Zachary Morris (Garden City, N.Y.) and freshman Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.). Morris, a cornerstone in Bryant men's tennis over the past four seasons, was a rock throughout his senior campaign, recoding a career-high 20 singles victories, going 8-7 at No. 2 singles, while Kuhar burst onto the scene as one of the most promising young talents to ever don the Black and Gold, going 9-6 in the top singles spot to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors.

The stacked Bryant lineup was also bolstered by the emergence of freshman Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at the No. 3 spot, as well as the always stellar play of sophomore Oliver Welsh (San Diego, Calif.) and junior Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.).

But on Friday, the Black and Gold will face their toughest task to date when they visit Baylor on Friday for first round action. The Bears enter Friday's match with a 21-5 overall record, with three of the losses coming at the hands of Big 12 foe, top-ranked Oklahoma. Leading the way for Baylor is the No. 2 ranked played in the country, junior Julian Lenz, who enters the match with a 14-4 mark at No. 1 singles. Additionally, Lenz and doubles partner Diego Galeano have combined to go 19-1 on the year as a duo, earning the No. 8 national ranking. The Bears also boast the 35th and 58th ranked played in the country, respectfully, in Tony Lupeiri and Maxime Tchoutakian.

First Round action between the Bulldogs and Bears kicks off at 7 p.m. EST on Friday, with the winner earning the right to play the winner of #29 LSU vs. No. 59 UTSA on Saturday.