TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis team seeks to return to its winning ways at Rider on Saturday before returning home to host defending Northeast Conference champion Bryant Sunday afternoon at the FDU Tennis Courts.
 
The Knights begin their match with Rider at 1 p.m., and are also scheduled to face Bryant at the same time on Sunday, but the start time vs. Bryant is subject to change depending on the finish of the women's match vs. Bryant preceding the men's contest.
 
ENTERING THE WEEKEND
The Knights (7-10, 3-1 NEC) were shorthanded on Thursday when they fell to Sacred Heart, 4-3, in their first NEC loss of the season. Playing with only five healthy players, the Knights won three of five contested singles matches but could not take the doubles point and fell in the remaining two singles challenges while having to forfeit the sixth singles spot. Sophomores Maciej Autuch, Moric Budinszky and Eduardo Cabral all earned singles wins, with Cabral improving to 4-0 in NEC singles matches this season.
 
NEC AWARDS
Sophomore Andris Gudins and freshman Mehdi Dhouib each earned a NEC Weekly award for their performances over the past week, with Gudins receiving NEC Player of the Week and Dhouib garnering NEC Rookie of the Week accolades. Gudins finished the week 3-1 at the no. 2 singles spot and 2-2 in no. 1 doubles, while Dhouib played a perfect 4-0 week in doubles and was 2-1 at the no. 1 singles spot. The two players teamed up for doubles wins against Wagner and Bloomsburg, while Dhouib also earned wins at no. 2 doubles with Budinszky against Duquesne and Mount St. Mary's. Gudins went unbeaten in his two NEC singles matches and also won at Bloomsburg, while Dhouib earned a big singles victory against Wagner. The rookie honor is the third this season for Dhouib, while the NEC award is the first of Gudins' career.
 
LEADERS THUS FAR
The Knights have six players with at least 10 singles victories this season, led by Cabral who has 14 including fall matches. Cabral and junior Ivan Solans Diaz each have eight singles wins in dual matches this season to lead the team. In doubles, the duo of Dhouib and Gudins leads the Knights with an 11-5 record this season, and the tandem are 8-5 this season in dual matches (2-0 in NEC matches). As a team, the Knights are 16-7 this season in NEC singles matches.
 
RECENT HISTORY
FDU has not played Rider since 2007 but is 3-0 since the 2005 season against Rider. The Knights have won each of the last two matches against the Broncs in clean 7-0 sweeps. FDU, however, has not had as much success against Bryant, entering Sunday's match with a 2-10 record against their conference rivals. The Knights have been eliminated from the NEC Championships by Bryant, who was won the last five NEC titles, in four of the past five seasons (twice in the championship final). FDU's last win against Bryant came in the 2013 NEC Championship Final (4-3). The Knights also won their first ever meeting with the Bulldogs back in 2012, but Bryant has currently won nine straight meetings with the Knights.
 
SCOUTING RIDER
The Broncs (2-7) have been swept 7-0 in all four matches this spring after starting out 2-3 in the fall. The Broncs have won a combined five games against Division I opponents, with their lone win coming against St. Francis Brooklyn (4-3). Javier Melendez leads the Broncs with four singles wins this season, and the doubles duo of Peter Komosinski and Lysa Payano Almonte is the top tandem with three doubles victories this season.
 
SCOUTING BRYANT
The Bulldogs (15-10, 3-0 NEC) saw their four-match win streak snapped in their most recent outing, a 4-0 loss at St. John's on March 23. Bryant started the spring season on a four-match losing streak but then bounced back with wins in seven of its next 10 matches. Bryant players have won 11 of 12 NEC singles matches and are 5-0 in NEC doubles matches this season. The Bulldogs are led by the reigning NEC Player of the Year in Matt Kuhar, who is 22-7 overall this season and 15-3 in dual matches. The doubles duo of Juan Ortiz-Garcia and Grant Pertile leads Bryant with a 12-4 record this season (10-3 in dual matches). Bryant was picked as the preseason favorite in the NEC Preseason Poll, one spot ahead of the Knights, after going unbeaten in the NEC last season.
 
UP NEXT
The Knights close out the regular season on Friday, April 12, in a non-conference match at Temple at 10 a.m. The NEC Championships then begin Thursday, April 18, at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.