Bulldogs capture third-straight NEC Title, defeat Red Flash, 4-0

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Clinching their third-straight Northeast Conference Title, the top-seeded Bryant University men's tennis team defeated No. 3 Saint Francis U., 4-0, Sunday morning in West Windsor, N.J.

The Bulldogs (13-11, 3-0 NEC) third-straight title places them in the NEC record books as they become the first team to three-peat in the last decade and one of only three teams to do so in league history.

The Bulldogs' pair of sophomores Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) and Josh Kliger (Newport Beach, Calif.) put the Bulldogs in a good position, defeating the Red Flashes' (14-9, 3-0) Plamen Avuski and Jan Vit Suntar, 6-1, first in No. 3 doubles. After the Black and Gold were topped, 6-4, in No. 1 doubles, sophomore Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) hit a backhand return down the line to clinch No. 2 doubles, alongside senior Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.), and the doubles point for the 1-0 Bryant lead heading into singles play.

Lorenz quickly put the Bulldogs up 2-0 after trumping Rodrigo Tico, 6-2, 6-0, in No. 3 singles. Ortiz-Garcia added another Bryant point, overpowering Robin van der Heijden, 6-1, 6-3, in No. 6 singles.

After trailing 3-0 in the first set, freshman Michael Plutt (Weston, Fla.) won four-straight games against Suntar, taking the lead, 4-3, and never looked back, winning the first, 6-4, in No. 4 singles. At match point in the second set, Plutt and Suntar exchanged numerous volleys, before Plutt's pressure at the net forced Suntar to return it out of bounds, sealing the Bulldogs' 4-0 championship victory.

Bryant's league title solidifies an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and the squad now waits to find out who they will face in the first round of the big dance.