Golden Bears will take on top-seeded Nichols on Saturday
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 1, 2019) – The second-seeded Western New England University men's tennis team advanced to the championship match of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament for the first time in program history with a 5-1 semifinal round victory over No. 3 seed Roger Williams University on Wednesday afternoon at the Volvo Outdoor Courts.
With the win, the Golden Bears (11-3) move on to face top-seeded Nichols College in the title match on Saturday. Roger Williams' season comes to a close at 7-6.
Western New England got off to a strong start as juniors Hippolyte Bonnet (Lille, France) and Luke Surawski (Wethersfield, Conn.) rolled to an 8-1 win over Thomas O'Leary and Miles Conlin at No. 2 doubles.
The Golden Bears went up 2-0 in the match when senior Michael Tran (West Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Max Gordon (Middleton, Mass.) edged Jake Cole and Tyler Cain 8-6 at No. 2 doubles, before the Hawks got on the board as Brendan White and Dan Tocco defeated Western New England's top duo of junior David Kalmer (Slingerlands, N.Y.) and senior Justin Kohut (South Windsor, Conn).
Leading 2-1 heading into singles play, the Golden Bears added to their advantage as Bonnet topped Tocco, 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 2 position.
Western New England clinched the victory with wins at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, as Kohut registered a 6-3, 6-3 result over O'Leary, and Surawski bested Cole, 6-2, 6-3.
