MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
Dolphins and Ravens Earn Shutout Wins in Semifinals.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Top-seeded Le Moyne and third-seeded Franklin Pierce will contend for the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Tennis Championship on Saturday, following convincing semifinal victories on Tuesday afternoon.
The Dolphins, who remained unbeaten against NE10 opponents this season, blanked fourth-seeded Adelphi by a 4-0 margin – earning the first-ever trip to the conference finals in program history. Le Moyne will serve as host of Saturday's finals.
The Ravens bested second-seeded Southern New Hampshire on the road, also by a 4-0 final score, advancing to the conference finals for the first time since 2005. Both Le Moyne and Franklin Pierce are seeking their first-ever league championships in men's tennis.
Weather-permitting, Saturday's final will be held at Nottingham High School in Syracuse, N.Y., at 1 p.m. If the match is moved indoors, it will take place at Elevate Fitness in Dewitt, N.Y. at 5:30 p.m.
(1) Le Moyne 4, (4) Adelphi 0 – Box Score
Le Moyne advanced to its first NE10 Championship behind big semifinal performances from Tom Jarry, Philip Blythe and Felipe Cruz – with each earning wins in singles and doubles against Adelphi to help clinch a 4-0 victory.
Jarry won at No. 2 singles, beating Pietro Sole in straight sets (6-1, 6-0), while Blythe took his No. 3 singles match comfortably over Valentin Le Goupil-Maier (6-2, 6-1) and Cruz beat David Leader at No. 6 singles (6-0, 6-1).
Jarry and Blythe teamed up at No. 1 doubles to beat Gabriel Balestero and Le Goupil-Maier, 7-5, and Cruz partnered with Ethan Miller to win at No. 3 doubles, 6-3, over Luke Attride-Stirling and Andrew Ray – clinching the doubles point for Le Moyne.
The Dolphins go into Saturday with a 9-0 record against NE10 opponents this season, but they have not yet played Franklin Pierce. The NE10 Championship will be hosted by Le Moyne.
(3) Franklin Pierce 4, (2) Southern New Hampshire 0 – Box Score
After splitting two meetings during the regular season, Franklin Pierce won the tiebreaker against Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday – eliminating the four-time reigning NE10 champions from the tournament in the process – with a 4-0 win.
The Ravens won the doubles point with the help of Joel Cladera and Preston Gordon stunning SNHU's First Team All-Conference duo of Bas and Willem van Biezen at No. 1 doubles, 6-4. Yuval Barak and Nkrumah Patrick also won at No. 3 doubles, 6-0, over Sam Goddard and Noah Dubitzky.
NE10 Rookie of the Year Kevin Denecheau picked up a big win over Willem van Biezen at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 7-5, and was followed by teammates Ivan Bernal and Patrick – who picked up wins at No. 3 and 6 singles, respectively – to lead the Ravens to victory.
It is the first trip to the NE10 finals for Franklin Pierce since 2005. The Ravens will travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to play top-seeded Le Moyne on Saturday.
NE10 Men's Tennis Championship
Saturday, April 24th
First Round
Top seed Le Moyne earns first-round bye.
Match 1: #4 Adelphi 4, #5 Bentley 2
Match 2: #3 Franklin Pierce 4, #6 Stonehill 0
Match 3: #2 SNHU 4, #7 Saint Michael's 0
Tuesday, April 27th
Semifinals
Match 4: #1 Le Moyne 4, #4 Adelphi 0
Match 5: #3 Franklin Pierce 4, #2 SNHU 0
Saturday, May 1st
Championship at Highest Remaining Seed
Match 6: #3 Franklin Pierce at #1 Le Moyne - 1pm if at Nottingham High School; 5:30pm if at Elevate Fitness (Dewitt, N.Y.)
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 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, 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.
