Waterville, ME - For the second time in three seasons, Northern Vermont University-Lyndon and Thomas College will compete for the North Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Championship. The Hornets and Terriers will square off on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm in Maine. The match will take place at the North Street Tennis Courts in Waterville. In case of inclement weather, the match will be moved indoors to the A-Copi Tennis and Sports Center in Augusta.
Thomas enters the championship as the top seed, while Lyndon comes in at number two. The Terriers won both regular season meetings between the two teams on the way to a perfect 6-0 record in NAC play. The Hornets finished 4-2 in conference, with their only two losses coming to Thomas. Thomas also captured a non-conference match between the two schools.
Thomas swept all three doubles matchups in the two regular season conference meetings. In first doubles the Terrier duo of Nicolas arenas and Jose Alfonso bested Lyndon's Jeffrey Blais (Newport, VT) and Davis Gratton (Newport, VT) by 8-1 margins in both meetings. Liam Gould and Gabriel McPhail topped Garrick Webster (Terryville, CT) and Quinlan Peer (Saranac Lake, NY) at number two doubles, also by 8-1 margins each time. In third doubles, Caleb Daigneault and Kegan Rodrigue bested James Salvas (Morrisville, VT) and Matthew Condon (East Bridgewater, MA), 8-3, in the first meeting and downed Condon and Joseph Patrick Osborn (Hanover, NH), 8-2, the second time around.
Thomas has captured each of the top three singles flights in straight sets in both of the conference matchups. At number one, Arenas beat Blais twice by identical 6-1, 6-1 scores. At number two, Alfonso won a very competitive opening set from Peer on the way to a 6-4, 6-1 win in their first meeting. He was a 6-3, 6-0 winner in the rematch. McPhail got the best of Webster both times at number three, winning 6-3, 6-2 at Thomas and 6-1, 6-0 at Lyndon.
Gratton and Gould have had a pair of very tightly contested matches at fourth singles. Gould prevaied in their first meeting, coming away with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Gratton returned the favor with a 6-2, 7-5 win in the rematch.
Rodrigue came out on top both times against Condon at fifth singles, winning 6-0, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-3. Daigneault also has two wins in the number six position. He beat Osborn, 6-2, 6-1, and Salvas, 6-3, 6-3.
Lyndon will be seeking its second NAC championship. The Hornets defeated Thomas, 5-4, to take the title in 2021. Peer, Salvas, and Webster were a part of that championship team, while Alfonso and Gould were in the lineup for Thomas.
Thomas is the defending NAC champion. The Terriers also took conference honors in 2019.
