HAMDEN, Conn. – Led by two singles flight championship performances, the Bryant University men's tennis team posted another winning record as a team at yet another fall tournament, as the Bulldogs competed at the Quinnipiac Invitational over the weekend.
Highlighted by sophomore Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, N.C.) going 4-0 to win the "A" Singles Flight and freshman Joshua Rubinstein (Trumbull, Conn.) doing likewise in the "D" Singles Flight, the Black and Gold went a combined 28-16 in singles and doubles play over the three-day tournament.
Not to be outdone by their teammates, freshmen Ernesto Arguello (Managua, Nicaragua) and Juan Gonzalez-Paz (San Juan, Puerto Rico) went on to win their respective bracket in the "A" Doubles Flight, while sophomore Robert-Paul Weese (Aurora, Ontario) and sophomore Vidith Huot (Providence, R.I.) were runners-up in the "B" Doubles Flight.
As impressive as some of the individual results were for the Bulldogs, even more impressive was just how close each and every match was against some of the top competition in the region. In six of eight losses, Bryant competitors forced a tie-breaker or a superset, indicative of just how close the matches were.
Parziale continued his hot streak in singles, improving to 9-3 in the fall and remaining undefeated in singles play for nearly a month. The reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year picked up a 6-4; 6-1 win over Joe Michaelisin before squeeking out a come-from-behind, superset thriller against Tom O'Brien, earning a 6-7 (5); 6-2 (12-10) victory to advance to the semifinals. Parziale wound up in the finals after Chadd Sullo from Sacred Heart was forced to retire before starting a decisive superset, and took home the "A" Singles flight title with a rousing 6-4; 4-6 (14-12) victory over Scott Warden of UConn.
In the "D" Singles flight, Rubinstein cruised to the semifinals, where he fought to a tough first-set win before dominating the second set in a 7-5; 6-1 victory over Andrew Adler to earn a berth in the finals. There, he bounced back from a first-set loss to force a superset tiebreaker, and finally edged Matt Burns, 3-6; 7-5 (12-10) for the bracket championship. The rookie continued his stellar play in his first month of collegiate action, moving to 7-0 in singles since the start of the fall.
Shifting to doubles play, Arguello and Gonzalz found themselves in the A" Doubles bracket, and were undaunted against some of the tournament's best doubles pairs, using a pair of 8-5 victories to push them into the semifinals of their flight. There, they fought to a 9-7 victory over host Quinnipiac's duo of James Kwei and Andrew Weeden, moving to the finals where they would dominate Warden and Jacob Spreyer, 8-2, to take the title. Weese and Huot nearly joined them as doubles champions, falling, 8-6, in the "B" Doubles finals match.
Next up for the Bulldogs is the coup-de-grace of the fall slate, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships in Ithaca, N.Y. from Oct. 13-16. Tournament updates will be posted online as the weekend progresses.
For continuing coverage of Bryant University men's tennis, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.
