Men's tennis earns #1 seed in NEC Championships for second-straight year
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After posting its second-consecutive 14+ win season, the Bryant University men's tennis team earned the #1 overall seed in the 2014 Northeast Conference Tennis Championships, set to begin on Thursday at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J.
The Bulldogs, who finish the 2014 regular season with a 15-10 overall record going a perfect 3-0 against league opponents this season, earned the top seed in the upcoming NEC Championships for the second-straight season, announced the conference Monday.
On Sunday, Bryant wrapped up its regular season slate with a dominating 6-1 victory over Sacred Heart in Smithfield to secure its second-straight undefeated record vs. NEC opponents. The Bulldogs took care of business in doubles competition thanks to strong performances from tandems Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.) and Zachary Morris (Garden City, N.Y.) at no 1, and Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, N.C.) and Oliver Welsh (San Diego, Calif.) at no. 2.
In singles play, the Black and Gold were nearly perfect with Parziale, Welsh, Vogt and Guillaume Sabourin (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) picking up straight-set wins at no. 1, 2, 4, and 6 singles respectively. Freshman Christian Duarte (Dallas, Texas), however earned arguably the his best win of the season, taking down Sacred Heart freshman sensation Anthony Savio, 6-3, 6-1, at the no. 5 spot.
"To end our season with a 15-10 record while playing such a challenging schedule is a solid achievement," said Bryant head coach Ron Gendron. "All of our focus moving ahead is solely targeted on returning to the NEC Championship Final and competing for a conference title."
Gendron and the #1 Bulldogs will have an opportunity to do just that when they open Championship action against #8 St. Francis Brooklyn, Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at Mercer County Park.
Click here to visit the NEC Tennis Championship Headquarters and as always for all the latest news on the Bryant University men's tennis team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.
Men's Seeds
1. Bryant
2. Fairleigh Dickinson
3. Saint Francis U
4. Robert Morris
5. Sacred Heart
6. Mount St. Mary's
7. Wagner
8. St. Francis Brooklyn