WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The second-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis team was defeated in heart-breaking fashion on Saturday in the finals of the Northeast Conference Champions at Mercer County Tennis Center, as the Knights fell to top-seeded Bryant, 4-3. With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to 18-10 on the season and advance to the NCAA Tournament, while FDU's year ends at 5-10.

The drama quotient was high in a rematch of the 2013 men's final as the Knights raced out to a 3-1 lead and appeared in control of two other matches, before Bryant embarked on a memorable rally. FDU took the doubles point, then received a 6-2, 6-0 win from freshman Diogo Garnel (Lisbon, Portugal/Carcavelos Tenis) at No. 6 singles to take a 2-0 advantage. Bryant junior Ernesto Arguello briefly sliced the lead in half with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 4, but the Knights increased the edge to 3-1 soon thereafter. Two-time NEC Player of the Year Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Riga Language School) posted a 7-5, 6-2 triumph at the No. 1 spot over the Bulldogs' Dana Parziale in a battle of two of the best players in recent conference vintage.

With its backs against the wall, Bryant responded to the challenge. Freshman Oliver Welsh fought back from a set down to win, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, at No. 3, and just moments later, the Bulldogs knotted things up at 3-3 when sophomore Max Vogt completed his own rally from a one-set deficit with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 5.

All eyes were then trained on the No. 2 match between Bryant junior Zachary Morris and FDU freshman Jacob Whalley ( Wirral, England/Calday Grange Grammar School). Morris took the first set by a 6-4 margin and had three championship points up 5-4 in the second set, but Whalley would not go down easy. The Wirral, England native extended the set to a tiebreaker and sent the FDU faithful into a frenzy with a 7-6 (5) victory. With the entire season coming down to one set, it was Morris who took firm control, lifting the Bulldogs to their first crown with a resounding 6-1 win.

Doubles
1. Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Riga Language School)/Gonzalo Quintana (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Particular Pert) (FDU) def. Max Vogt/Zachary Morris (Bryant), 8-3
2. Dana Parziale/Ernesto Arguello (Bryant) def. Jacob Whalley ( Wirral, England/Calday Grange Grammar School)/Arnaud Valentin (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield ) (FDU), 8-4
3. Diogo Garnel (Lisbon, Portugal/Carcavelos Tenis)/Julien Philippe (Paris, France/Saint Honoré d’Eylau) (FDU) def. Oliver Welsh/John Templeman (Bryant), 8-7 (2)
 
Singles
1. Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Riga Language School) (FDU) def. Dana Parziale (Bryant), 7-5, 6-2
2. Zachary Morris (Bryant) def. Jacob Whalley ( Wirral, England/Calday Grange Grammar School) (FDU), 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1
3. Oliver Welsh (Bryant) def. Gonzalo Quintana (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Particular Pert) (FDU), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4
4. Ernesto Arguello (Bryant) def. Arnaud Valentin (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield ) (FDU), 6-3, 7-5
5. Max Vogt (Bryant) def. Julien Philippe (Paris, France/Saint Honoré d’Eylau) (FDU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
6. Diogo Garnel (Lisbon, Portugal/Carcavelos Tenis) (FDU) def. Christian Duarte (Bryant), 6-2, 6-0