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.