Men's tennis to play for fifth-straight title on Sunday morning
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The top-seeded Bryant University men's tennis team will play for its fifth-straight Northeast Conference Championship on Sunday after a convincing 4-0 win over fourth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday morning.
Bryant will now face second-seeded Wagner College on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. The Bulldogs have won each of the last four NEC titles, while the Seahawks will be playing in their first title match.
Match Information
Bryant 4, Wagner 0
Records: Bryant (13-15), FDU (5-15)
Location: Mercer County Park (West Windsor, N.J.)
Coach Gendron's Comments
"Today was a lot more of what we have been executing in the month of April. We are expecting to bring the same energy to the final. I think we have save our best tennis for Sunday. Looking forward to the battle."
How it happened (Doubles)
- Bryant clinched the double point with dominant performances at No. 1 and No. 3. Redshirt junior Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.) and junior Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, Texas) won 6-0 at No. 1, while senior Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and freshman Grant Pertile (Edgartown, Mass.) won 6-0 at No. 3.
How it happened (Singles)
- Bryant's upperclassmen closed out the convincing victory as Kuhar, Lorenz and senior Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) all won.
- Kuhar won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1, Lorenz won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 and Ortiz-Garcia clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5.
- Bryant was up in all the other three singles matches before they went unfinished.
Match Notes
- The Bulldogs will be appearing in the NEC title match for the sixth-straight season.
- Bryant has won each of the last four titles (2014-2017).
- The Black and Gold are trying to become the first team to ever win five tournament titles in a row at Bryant University.
- Kuhar improved to 26-7 on the year and 20-3 at No. 1 singles. He is 5-0 against NEC competition.
- Ortiz-Garcia has now won each of his last five matches.
- The doubles team of Kuhar/Jakubowski has won five-straight, while Lorenz/Pertile improved to 16-5.
Results
Doubles
1 – Kuhar/Jakubowski (BRY) def. Chan/Budinszky (FDU), 6-0
2 – Ortiz-Garcia/Isaias Ortiz-Garcia (BRY) vs. Bourne/Autuch (FDU), 5-2, unfinished
3 – Lorenz/Pertile (BRY) def. Gudins/Nobuzawa (FDU), 6-0
Singles
1 – Kuhar (BRY) def. Gudins (FDU), 6-2, 6-3
2 – Lorenz (BRY) def. Autuch (FDU), 6-0, 6-2
3 – Jakubowski (BR) vs. Chan (FDU), 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
4 – M. Plutt (BRY) vs. Budinszky (FDU), 6-2, 5-2, unfinished
5 – Ortiz-Garcia (BRY) def. Nobuzawa (FDU), 6-2, 6-2
6 – Dong (BRY) vs. Bourne (FDU), 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
Up Next
The Bulldogs will face second-seeded Wagner in the NEC title match on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.