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West Windsor, NJ -- In a tournament long dominated by the top seeds, this year's NEC Tennis Championship went in a completely different direction.

With the parity in the conference at an all-time high, Championship Saturday featured a pair of improbable winners, at least based on the pre-tournament seeding.

Bryant won its second NEC women's title, knocking off top-seeded LIU in the semis before posting a 4-2 win over second-seeded FDU in today's final. The Bulldogs made history with their run, becoming the first No. 4 seed to capture the NEC title. The No. 1 or No. 2 seed had won every previous NEC Tournament dating back to the 1998 when the conference moved to a team-flighted format.

In an instant classic on the men's side, third-seeded FDU thwarted a furious comeback attempt to edge top-seeded Bryant, 4-3, and repeat as NEC champion. In doing so, the third-seeded Knights claimed their 14th league crown, four more than any other school in NEC annals. FDU became the lowest seeded men's team to win it all since Quinnipiac did so as the No. 3 seed back in 2010.

The tournament for the 21st straight year was contested at the award winning Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ.

Mirroring its win over top-seeded LIU on Friday, Bryant captured the doubles point and never looked back...but it wasn't easy. The marathon match featured five three-setters in singles play. Sophomore Olivia Rondini won 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 at #5 singles for Bryant, but FDU stormed right back when sophomore Gauri Bhagia secured a 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 victory in #6 flight play. Senior Leanne Kendall put the Bulldogs on the brink of the title, rallying for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win at #3 singles, to set the stage for Ada Boru's heroics at the top of the lineup. Boru also came back from a set down, stopping junior Alena Kubanova, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, for the clincher that sent the NEC title back to Smithfield.

The title win was the second for Bryant, which was making its fifth NEC finals appearance in the last seven years. The Bulldogs also won it all back in 2015.

Boru was named NEC Tournament MVP, and was joined on the All-Tournament podium by teammates Kendall and Rondini. Kubanova and senior Aleksandra Vorozheikina earned All-Tourney recognition for the Knights, as did LIU junior Elinor Storkaas and Sacred Heart junior Vitalina Golod.

It should come as no suprise that the men's final came down to Bryant and FDU, one of the greatest conference rivalries in any sport. The two teams have combined to win the last ten NEC championships, have battled in seven of the last nine NEC Tournaments and have met four times with the title at stake in that span with each team winning twice.

For awhile it looked like this one would be all Knights as FDU took a hotly contested doubles point, then posted a pair of straight set wins to go up 3-0 in short order. Senior Mehdi Dhouib won 6-2, 6-4 at #2 singles and sophomore Younas Adnane rolled to a 6-4, 6-3 victory at the #6 spot.

However, the Bulldogs showed they still had some fight left in them, clawing their way back into the match, starting with junior Teague Burger's 6-2, 7-5 triumph at #3 singles. Showing their mettle, senior Andrew Pregal (2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at #4) and freshman Leonardo Mileikowsky (4-6, 6-2, 6-1 at #5) both rallied from a set down to even the score at 3-3 and leaving just the #1 match still on court. In that marquee matchup, Bryant sophomore Diego Serra Sparrow won the first set over FDU junior Teodors Pukse, 6-4, but the reigning NEC Player of the Year came back for a 6-4 win in set number two. The third set was a back-and-forth battle that ended when Pukse won the last three games for the tournament clinching 6-4 win that set off a raucous Knights' celebration in Mercer Park.

Pukse was named the NEC Tournament MVP for his efforts for the second straight year, and he was flanked on the All-Tournament team by teammates Dhouib and Adnane. Bryant was repped by Burger and Pregal. Also named to the All-Tourney team were LIU freshman Akhilendran Indrabalan and St. Francis Brooklyn grad student Jan Godfrey Seno.

The Bryant women and FDU men will next represent the NEC in the upcoming NCAA Championships.
 
2022 Northeast Conference Tennis Championships
at Mercer County Tennis Center
West Windsor, NJ

Thursday, April 14

Women's Quarterfinals
#1 LIU def. #8 Wagner, 4-0
#2 FDU def. #7 Saint Francis U, 4-0
#3 Sacred Heart def. #6 Mount St. Mary's, 4-2
#4 Bryant def. #5 St. Francis Brooklyn, 4-x

Men’s Quarterfinals
#1 Bryant def. #8 Wagner, 4-0
#2 St. Francis Brooklyn def. #7 Saint Francis U, 4-0
#3 FDU def. #6 Mount St. Mary's, 4-0
#4 LIU def. #5 Sacred Heart, 4-2

Friday, April 15

Women’s Semifinal Matches
#4 Bryant def. #1 LIU, 4-2
#2 FDU def. #3 Sacred Heart, 4-1

Men’s Semifinal Matches 
#1 Bryant def. #4 LIU, 4-1
#3 FDU def. #2 St. Francis Brooklyn, 4-2

Saturday, April 16

Women’s Championship Match
#4 Bryant def. #2 FDU, 4-1

Men’s Championship Match
#3 FDU def. #1 Bryant, 4-3