Bulldogs fall to #2 Baylor in NCAA First Round Friday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's tennis team fell to second-seeded Baylor, 4-0, Friday evening in the First Round of the NCAA Championships.

The Bears (22-5) proved to be too much for the Bulldogs (8-12) to handle Friday evening in Waco, Texas, as the No. 2 team in the country secured the shutout victory.

In doubles play, Baylor jumped out to a quick lead when the #8 pairing in the country, Julian Lenz and Diego Galeano, took down freshman Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.) and Joshua Kliger (Newport Beach, Calif.), 8-0, at the No. 1 spot. Soon after, the Bears clinched the doubles point with a win at No. 3 doubles by Vince Schneider and Felipe Rios.

At No. 2 doubles, seniors Ernesto Arguello (Managua, Nicaragua) and Zachary Morris (Garden City, N.Y.) put up a fight against seventy-ninth ranked Tony Lupieri and Mate Zsiga, scoring two points before the match was suspended.

In singles action, Rios upped the hosts edge to 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles, while #58 Max Tchoutakian pushed the margin to three points with a victory at the No. 3 spot. Zsiga clinched the match win at No. 5 singles with the 6-0, 6-1 win, helping his team advance to the second round.

Despite the 4-0 loss, the Black and Gold put up a fight at No. 1 and 4 singles. At the top spot, Kuhar dropped the first set, 6-1, to the second-ranked Lenz before fighting to an even 2-2 in the second set, while sophomore Oliver Welsh (San Diego, Calif.) was down just a single point, 3-2, vs. Galeano in his second set at the No. 4 spot.

The two-time Northeast Conference Championship wrap up yet another successful season in just their third year as a Division I eligible program. Looking to the 2015-16 season, Bryant returns five of six in its singles lineup and is poised for another run at the NEC Title.