Complete highlights from the 2019 NE10 Men's Tennis Championship.
SNHU Holds Off Merrimack to Win NE10 Championship
When and Where: May 4, 2019 – Hooksett, N.H. (Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 4, Merrimack College 3
Records: SNHU 16-3, Merrimack 17-9
After falling behind 3-0, SNHU proved resilient, winning the top-four singles flights to claim the NE10 Championship in 4-3 fashion, winning the championship for the fourth straight year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The doubles venue saw the Warriors and Penmen split the first and second flights. After falling at No. 2, 6-1, SNHU answered with a 6-2 triumph at No. 1 for juniors Bas van Biezen and Willem van Biezen. Merrimack then claimed a 6-3 win at third doubles, taking the overall point and a 1-0 lead into singles.
- Merrimack freshman Andre Singer scored a win at No. 6 in two sets over SNHU's Ricardo Marreiros, opening a 2-0 advantage for Merrimack. Fifth singles went in the books shortly thereafter, with Mackay Rodriguez completing his first win of the tournament in straight sets over Miguel Marreiros to move the Warriors within a point of the match.
- The next four flights went in favor of the Penmen to give SNHU the title. Third singles and first singles were the next two matches that ended, with the Penmen claiming two-set victories at each spot. Grad student Tiago Fernandes won 6-4, 7-5 over Denis Davydov and freshman Emmanuel Vacalares handled Alex Fedorov 6-4, 6-4.
- The Warriors won the opening sets at second and fourth singles, only to see the hosts comeback to win back-to-back frames at each spot. At No. 2, Willem van Biezen topped Jonathan Garcia 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 and the No. 4 match proved to be the clincher, with the Penmen winning a 6-3 third set to end the contest as Bas van Biezen finished off Conrad Koch 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.
All-Championship Team
Bas van Biezen, SNHU – Most Valuable Player
Willem van Biezen, SNHU
Tiago Fernandes, SNHU
Jonathan Garcia, Merrimack
Denis Davydov, Merrimack
Michael Fuca, Bentley
Sven Gopfrich, Le Moyne
SNHU, Merrimack Advance to NE10 Title Match after Semifinal Victories
#1 SNHU 4, #4 Le Moyne 2 – SNHU Recap | Box Score
Graduate student Miguel Marreiros won both of his matches, including the clincher at No. 5 singles, as the top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University men's tennis team recorded a 4-2 win against fourth-seeded Le Moyne College on Thursday afternoon and advanced to the Northeast 10 Championship for the fourth consecutive year.
Marreiros outlasted Christian Erickson, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 5 to win the match for the Penmen. He also teamed with freshman Fernando Torres for a 6-1 victory at No. 2 doubles against Tyler Underwood and Gerardo Wibmer.
#3 Merrimack 4, #2 Bentley 0 – Merrimack Recap | Box Score
ANDOVER, Mass. – Playing indoors at the Spark Tennis Club in Andover, Mass., the third-seeded Merrimack men's tennis program posted its second shutout in as many postseason matches as the Warriors topped second-seeded Bentley University, 4-0, in the Northeast 10 Conference Semifinals on Thursday. The victory enabled Merrimack to reach its third consecutive NE10 Championship match and ninth in school history. The Warriors are set to face No. 50 and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire in the finals for the third consecutive season this Saturday.
Junior Denis Davydov clinched the match for the Warriors, dominating his first set (6-1) at No. 1 singles before a 7-5 victory in the second set. Merrimack won the doubles point before earning two-set wins at fourth, second and first singles to secure its 17th victory of the season, the second most in a single year in program history.
High Seeds Advance to NE10 Semifinals, as Merrimack and Le Moyne Win in First Round
#3 Merrimack 4, #6 Stonehill 0 – Merrimack Recap | Box Score
MIDDLETON, Mass. – The Merrimack men's tennis team shutout Stonehill College for the second time this season, 4-0, on Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the Northeast-10 Conference Quarterfinals, defeating the Skyhawks in an indoors match played at the Northeast Tennis Center in Middleton, Mass.
The third-seeded Warriors advanced to the conference semifinals for the 12th consecutive season and 12th time in program history, and will face Bentley University at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon in Waltham, Mass. The Warriors are fighting towards their third consecutive trip to the conference championship match, which would be the ninth trip to the league finals in school history.
#4 Le Moyne 4, #5 Franklin Pierce 1 – Le Moyne Recap | Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Fourth-seeded Le Moyne earned a 4-1 victory over fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce on Tuesday afternoon, advancing to the NE10 men's tennis semifinals on Thursday at top-seeded Southern New Hampshire. The Dolphins won the double point before winning three of four singles matches to seal a First Round win.
Tom Jarry and Philip Blythe took No. 1 singles over Franklin Pierce's Roberto Chong and Patrick Nkrumah, while Andres Hernandez and Xavier Graells won No. 3 doubles to take the point for Le Moyne. Blythe went on to win No. 2 singles, while Graells won No. 4 singles and Sven Gopfrich won at No. 6. With the victory, the Dolphins advance to the NE10 semifinals for the second-straight season.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
