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West Windsor, NJ -- In what may have been the most thrilling Championship Sunday in NEC tennis history, Fairleigh Dickinson for the second straight year took home all the hardware. The top-seeded Knights repeated as women’s champion by edging second-seeded Quinnipiac, 4-3, just prior to the second-seeded FDU men’s squad outlasting top-seeded Bryant by the same 4-3 score. The tournament was held at Mercer County Tennis Center for the 13th straight year.
There was high drama in the women’s final, as the Knights won their fourth NEC crown in an instant classic. In a match that lasted four hours and 36 minutes--making it the second longest final in league history--it all came down to #4 singles and a three-set match between FDU’s
Celine Maier (Nuremberg, Germany/Bertolt-Brecht-Shule Nuremberg) and QU’s
Michelle Dassa (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro). Dassa won the first set, 7-5, and by the time Maier came back to win the second by a 6-2 score, all eyes were on this match with the teams tied up at 3-3. Maier raced out to a 5-1 lead in the decisive third set, but Dassa survived the match point and came back to win the next two games, making it 5-3. Maier was finally able to put away the Marlboro, NJ native and claim a 6-3 victory, sending the FDU contingent into a raucous celebration. Also victorious in singles for the Knights were reigning NEC Player of the Year, senior
Anna Rapoport (Moscow, Russia/#1239), a 6-2, 6-0 winner over
Rachel Cantor (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn), and
Dina Guzairova (Sochi, Russia/Chelyabinsk #8), who bested M
ary Chupa (Bradenton, FL/Manatee) by a score of 6-2, 6-4. For Quinnipiac, sophomores
Jacqueline Raynor (Garden City, NY/Garden City) (6-4, 6-1)
and Ariana Launie (Milton, MA/Milton) (7-4, 6-4), along with senior
Sarah Viebrock (Carmel, NY/John F. Kennedy Catholic) (6-4, 6-3) all won in straight sets.
This marked the second time in three years that FDU and QU played in a 4-3 final. In 2011, the Bobcats came out on top in a marathon match. FDU (11-6, 7-0) has now appeared in four straight NEC championship matches, while Quinnipiac (12-9, 6-2 NEC) has qualified for 12 of the last 13 title tilts. Jonathan Buchman, who was an assistant on last year’s victorious FDU squad, earned his first NEC championship as head coach.
The drama was not just confined to the women. NEC newcomer Bryant waited five years to play in the postseason and when they arrived, didn’t disappoint. The Bulldogs pushed the Knights to the brink, holding a 3-2 match lead, and it all came down to FDU sophomore
Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Centre Language School) and Bryant sophomore
Zachary Morris (Garden City, NY/Garden City) at #1 singles and FDU freshman
Markus Sjoberg (Tyreso, Sweden/Varmdo Gymnasium) and Bryant sophomore
Joshua Rubinstein (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) at #6 singles. Berzins, the 2011-12 NEC Player of the Year, came back from a set down to beat Morris, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, turning all eyes to the #6 flight. There, Rubinstein had easily won the first set, 6-2, before Sjoberg answered back with a 6-3 second set victory. In the deciding set, Sjoberg broke a 2-2 tie, winning the last four games for the 6-2 win. Also picking up singles wins for FDU were seniors
Ibrahim Shams (Cairo, Egypt/Manor House) (6-1, 6-1) and
Peter Skvarka (Banska Bystricka, Slovakia/Gymnazium J.G. Tajovskeho) (6-2, 6-1). For Bryant, junior
Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, NC/Pinecrest) (6-2, 6-3) and
Ernesto Arguello (Managua Nicaragua/American Nicaraguan School) (6-3, 7-5) were victorious in singles play.
The winningest program in NEC tennis history, FDU (9-7, 7-1 NEC) claimed its 12th league championship and fourth in the last seven years. It also marked the first title for first-year head coach Jonathan Buchman. Bryant (13-10, 8-1) reached the final in its first year of Division I postseason eligibility and does not lose a single player from its 13-man roster.
The FDU men and women will now represent the NEC in NCAA tournament play starting on May 16.