First Time Le Moyne and SNHU Have Played in NE10 Title Match.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - Le Moyne and Southern New Hampshire cruised to home semifinal victories in the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Tennis Championship on Thursday, advancing to Saturday's final as the top-seeded teams. No. 1 Le Moyne blanked No. 5 Franklin Pierce, 4-0, while No. 2 SNHU beat No. 3 Adelphi, 4-1.
Le Moyne extended its winning streak to 20 matches this season, while SNHU looks to avenge a loss in the regular-season finale to the Dolphins last Friday. It will be the first time that the two teams have played each other for the NE10 title and the match will begin at 2 p.m. in Syracuse, N.Y. In the case of inclement weather, the match will be moved indoors at Elevate Fitness Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y.) at 5 p.m.
(1) Le Moyne 4, (5) Franklin Pierce 0 – Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Junior Ethan Miller recorded a pair of victories to lead the 29th-ranked and top-seeded Le Moyne men's tennis team to a 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Skytop Tennis Courts.
With the victory, the team's 20th in a row, the Dolphins advance to the NE10 Championship match for the second-straight year and will host 54th-ranked and second-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Skytop.
The Dolphins, who defeated the Ravens in the championship match last year, opened the match by winning the doubles competition for the 19th straight match. At the first position, graduate student Tom Jarry and Miller registered a 6-2 win over Felipe Carvalho and Alejandro Ortiz for the first victory. Fifth years Jared Howard and James Howard clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory over Nkrumah Patrick and Preston Gordon at the third position. The match at second doubles was tied, 4-4, when the doubles point was decided.
Le Moyne (20-1) won each of the first three matches to finish in the singles competition to secure the victory. Miller improved to 15-2 on the year by winning his fifth straight match, 6-0, 6-3, at the sixth position over Ortiz. Graduate student Manuel Righi moved to 16-0 as a Dolphin with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the second position over Ivan Bernal. Freshman Peter Hatton closed out the victory with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Patrick to push his record to 15-2 on the season. The matches at the first and third spots were tied at one set apiece and the Dolphins were leading at the fifth spot when the match ended.
(2) SNHU 4, (3) Adelphi 1 – Box Score
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. - The second-seeded Southern New Hampshire men's tennis team dropped the first match in doubles and singles, but responded to post a convincing 4-1 win over third-seeded Adelphi in the NE10 semifinals. The Penmen, who improve to 10-1, advance to the NE10 Championship title match against top-seeded Le Moyne. Match time is 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 in Syracuse.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- No. 1 freshman Jonathan Berling captured a win over Marko Jovanovic – 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
- No. 2 Graduate student Thomas Guy outlasted Gabriel Balestero, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5.
- No. 3 Senior Emmanuel Vacalares captured a win to secure the match over Adi Saginayev 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.
- No. 4 Senior Fernando Torres was beaten by Pietro Sole in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
- No. 5 freshman Boris Stastny serving for the win when his match was halted by decision. He led 6-3, 6-5 over Thiago Negrao.
- No. 6 junior Zachary Duboulay also played a halted match, 3-6,
- The Penmen won at No. 1 doubles, with Berling and Guy edging Jovanic and Balestero, 6-4. Sole and Salomon Arce Lema won at No. 2 doubles over Torres and Duboulay 6-2. The Penmen earned the doubles point by winning at No. 3 doubles as Vacalares and Statsny won 6-4 over Negrao and Thomas Horsley.
NE10 Men's Tennis Championship
- Le Moyne (7-0)
- Southern New Hampshire (6-1)
- Adelphi (5-2)
- Saint Michael's (3-4)
- Franklin Pierce (3-4)
- Bentley (3-4)
Tuesday, April 26th
First Round
Match 1: #3 Adelphi 4, #6 Bentley 0
Match 2: #5 Franklin Pierce 4, #4 Saint Michael's 1
Thursday, April 28th
Semifinals
Match 3: #2 Southern New Hampshire 4, #3 Adelphi 1
Match 4: #1 Le Moyne 4, #5 Franklin Pierce 0
Saturday, April 30th
Championship at Highest Remaining Seed
Match 5: #2 Southern New Hampshire at #1 Le Moyne, 2:00 p.m. *
*Inclement weather would move the match indoors at 5 p.m. at Elevate Fitness Dewitt in Syracuse, 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.
