Men’s Tennis Dismantles Bentley Thursday, 4-0, to Create NE10 Championship Rematch at #50 SNHU

Links: Box Score

ANDOVER, Mass. –  Playing indoors at the Spark Tennis Club in Andover, Mass., the third-seeded Merrimack College men's tennis program posted its second shutout in as many postseason matches as the Warriors topped second-seeded Bentley University, 4-0, in the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals on Thursday. The victory enabled Merrimack to reach its third consecutive NE10 Championship match and ninth in school history. The Warriors are set to face No. 50 and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire in the finals for the third consecutive season this Saturday.

Junior Denis Davydov clinched the match for the Warriors, dominating his first set (6-1) at No. 1 singles before a 7-5 victory in the second set. Merrimack won the doubles point before earning two-set wins at fourth, second and first singles to secure its 17^th victory of the season, the second most in a single year in program history.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Bentley 0
Records: Merrimack (17-8) | Bentley (15-8)
Location: Andover, Mass. | Spark Tennis Club

2019 NE10 Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 30^th (First Round)
Match 1:#3 Merrimack def. #6 Stonehill, 4-0
Match 2: #4 Le Moyne def. #5 Franklin Pierce, 4-1

Thursday, May 2nd (Semifinals)
Match 3: #3 Merrimack def. #2 Bentley, 4-0
Match 4: #1 Southern New Hampshire def. #4 Le Moyne, 4-2

Saturday, May 4th (Championship ­ at Highest Remaining Seed)
Match 5: #3 Merrimack at #1 Southern New Hampshire,­ 12:00 p.m.

Results
Doubles

1. Denis Davydov/Conrad Koch (MERM) def. Dylan Granat/Michael Fuca (BEN) 6-1

2. Jonathan Garcia/Alex Fedorov (MERM) def. Daniel Weitz/Connor Aulson (BEN) 6-3

3. Nicholas Hatcher/Mauricio Fadul Rubod (BEN) vs. A. Mackay Rodriguez/Marshall Wood (MERM) 5-4, unfinished

Singles

1. Denis Davydov (MERM) def. Dylan Granat (BEN) 6-1, 7-5

2. Jonathan Garcia (MERM) def. Daniel Weitz (BEN) 6-4, 6-2

3. Michael Fuca (BEN) vs. Alex Fedorov (MERM) 7-6, 2-3, unfinished

4. Conrad Koch (MERM) def. Connor Aulson (BEN) 6-4, 6-4

5. A. Mackay Rodriguez (MERM) vs. Kendall Au (BEN) no result

6. Andre Singer (MERM) vs. Mauricio Fadul Rubod (BEN) no result

Rapid Recap

• First doubles ended first, with Merrimack's all-league second team duo of Davydov and freshman Conrad Koch winning by a 6-1 margin in a quick match that lasted less than 30 minutes. After trading games to start their match at second doubles, junior Alex Fedorov and freshman Jonathan Garcia went on a run to close their tilt, claiming a 6-3 triumph that gave the visitors the doubles point
• Koch's match at first singles ended first, winning his sets by matching 6-4 margins to move the Warriors within two points of the NE10 Final. Garcia battled through a back-and-forth opening set, 6-4, before asserting himself in the second frame, prevailing by four games (6-2) to put Merrimack on the brink of victory
• Davydov overcame a loss to his opponent at the top flight last week to send Merrimack to the league championship match. He faced little opposition in the first set, winning in just seven games (6-1). He fell behind in his second set by two games, but rallied to square things up at 2-2. The second-year Warrior then broke Bentley's serve to take a 6-5 lead, and won the match in its 12^th and final game, 7-5

Up Next
Merrimack will fight for its first NE10 Championship since 2015 and fourth in school history this Saturday when the Warriors visit the nationally ranked Penmen. The contest is set to begin at noon from the Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts.