LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – On the eve of the Northeast Conference Tennis Championships, the Sacred Heart men's tennis team won its regular season finale at Rider 6-1 on Thursday. The loss snaps a five match losing streak for the Pioneers, who end the regular season at 4-13. Rider is now 1-17.
Brian Power will take a two match winning streak into the conference tournament after a three set triumph at second singles. Power cruised in the first 6-1 before his opponent forced a decisive third with a 6-4 win in the second. Power prevailed 6-3 in the final set. Also winning in three sets was Francisco Del Valle Diaz at third singles, who also lost the second set 6-4 after pulling out the first by that same score. Del Valle ultimately pulled away in the third, 6-1.
Justin Pagan, Cory Seltman, and Alex Bose were winners by way of straight sets at first, fourth, and fifth singles respectively. Pagan ran away with the first set 6-1 before having to fight for the second set in a tiebreak. Seltman won comfortably 6-3,6-1. In his first match of the season, Bose had a great showing, securing a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Also playing in his first match of the year was Matthew Suprenant, who lost a tough three setter at sixth singles. Suprenant fought back from a 6-4 loss in the first set to force a third with a 6-3 decision in the second. Just as the first two had, the third set went to the wire with Suprenant ultimately being edged 6-4.
SHU clinched the doubles point with two 8-3 victories at first and second doubles. Both Mathieu Pilote-Schraenen and Karan Narula, and Del Valle Diaz and Seltman teamed together for the first time all year in the wins. Also teaming together for the first time in a tough 8-6 loss was Anthony Santino and Suprenant.
Selected as the sixth seed earlier in the week, Sacred Heart will face off with third seeded Saint Francis U in the quarterfinals of the NEC Championships on Friday. The match will begin at 11:30 at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.
Singles
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1. PAGAN, Justin (SHU) def. PHAN (RIDER) 6-1, 7-6
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2. POWER, Brian (SHU) def. AL-SHAWAFI (RIDER) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
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3. DEL VALLE, Francisco (SHU) def. POPSO (RIDER) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
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4. SELTMAN, Cory (SHU) def. BEGLEY (RIDER) 6-3, 6-1
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5. BOSE, Alex (SHU) def. VAN HERWARDE (RIDER) 6-2, 6-3
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6. BERHANE (RIDER) def. SUPRENANT, Matthew (SHU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
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Doubles
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1. PILOTE, Mathieu/NARULA, Karan (SHU) def. BEGLEY/PHAN (RIDER) 8-3
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2. DEL VALLE, Francisco/SELTMAN, Cory (SHU) def. POPSO/AL-SHAWAFI (RIDER) 8-3
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3. VAN HERWARDE/BERHANE (RIDER) def. SUPRENANT, Matthew/SANTINO, Anthony (SHU) 8-6
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