Top-seeded Bulldogs earn first-round bye, compete in NEC Championships this weekend in West Windsor

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After finishing 3-0 in Northeast Conference play, the Bryant University men's tennis team grabbed the top seed in this weekend's championships, looking to reclaim the league title in West Windsor, N.J. for the third-straight year.

The Bulldogs finished 10-11 overall and 3-0 in conference play, including a 5-2 victory over the tournament's second-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. The Black and Gold have edged the Knights, 4-3, in a pair of classic NEC title matches the last two years.  

The tournament will be contested over three days, beginning with quarterfinal play on Friday, leading to Saturday's semifinals and Championship Sunday. The Bulldogs' top spot in the tournament has bought them a bye in the quarterfinal round on Friday.

"I believe we are in a good place right now and are peaking just in time," said head coach Ron Gendron. "Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.) and Oliver Welsh (San Diego, Calif.) have started to play some of the best tennis of the year, our doubles teams look solid, our freshman look confident and Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) is destroying the ball at six. That being said I believe the NEC is deep top to bottom and there is a possibility for upsets one through seven.

"The weather looks great and we are looking forward to competing for the right to go to the NCAA and represent the NEC," said Gendron.