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One for the thumb: Men's tennis wins 5th-straight NEC title
Posted: Apr 22, 2018

One for the thumb: Men's tennis wins 5th-straight NEC title

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's tennis team joined elite company on Sunday morning as it won its fifth-straight Northeast Conference championship with a convincing 4-0 win over Wagner College.

Bryant becomes the first program in school history to win five-straight tournament titles and become just the third program in NEC history to win as many five titles.

Match Information

Bryant 4, Wagner 0

Records: Bryant (14-15), Wagner (14-9)

Location: Mercer County Park (West Windsor, N.J.)

Coach Gendron's Comments

"Five."

How it happened (Doubles)

  • Bryant made quick work of the doubles point as it won at No. 1 and No. 3 for the second-straight day. Redshirt junior Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.) and junior Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, Texas) won 6-1, while senior Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and freshman Grant Pertile (Edgartown, Mass.) won 6-0 at No. 3.

How it happened (Singles)

  • Wagner gave the Bulldogs everything they could handle in the first sets but Bryant was able to overcome the initial push.
  • The Bulldogs received clinching points from Lorenz, Jakubowski and freshman Wilson Dong (Bradenton, Fla.).
  • Lorenz won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2, Plutt won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4 and Dong clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6.

Match Notes

  • Bryant was appearing in its sixth-straight NEC title match.
  • The Bulldogs have now won five-straight NEC titles.
  • Bryant joins Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson as the only schools in league history to win as many as five titles.
  • Bryant is the only team to five-straight titles in the team scoring format era that began in 1999. 
  • Lorenz was named the first-ever NEC Tournament MVP after going 2-0 in singles and doubles on the weekend. 
  • Kuhar and senior Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) joined Lorenz on the All-Tournament team. 

Results

Doubles

1 – Kuhar/Jakubowski (BRY) def. Lashkul/Sandy (WAG), 6-1

2 – Ortiz-Garcia/Isias Ortiz-Garcia (BRY) vs. Poland/Walters (WAG), 4-1, unfinished

3 – Lorenz/Pertile (BRY) def. Kneppelhout/Sandy (WAG), 6-0

Singles

1 – Kuhar (BRY) vs. Walters (WAG), 6-4, 5-3, unfinished

2 – Lorenz (BRY) def. Lashkul (WAG), 6-4, 6-4

3 – Jakubowski (BRY) def. Ohrner (WAG), 6-3, 6-3

4 – M. Plutt (BRY) vs. Poland (WAG), 4-6, 6-1, 1-1, unfinished

5 – Ortiz-Garcia (BRY) vs. Boyd (WAG), 7-5, 4-1, unfinished

6 – Dong (BRY) def. Sandy (WAG), 7-5., 6-3