BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts at Boston currently sits atop the 2008 Little East Conference Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament after the first day of the two-day competition at the Dr. Henry Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts on the campus of Bridgewater State College. The Beacons lead the seven-team field with nine total points, while the University of Southern Maine is just two points off the pace.

The champions of the three double flights and the quarterfinal round of the singles draw were determined on Day One of the 19th annual Little East Conference Championship. The top-seeded tandems in first and second doubles were able to hold serve and capture their respective flights, while fourth-seeded UMass Boston upset two higher seeds teams to win the No. 3 doubles title.

University of Southern Maine junior Derek Stevenson (Raymond, Maine) and sophomore Joshua Warren (Hermon, Maine) became the fourth Huskies combination in the program’s history to earn the top-flight doubles championship. After receiving a bye in the quarterfinal round, Stevenson and Warren needed three sets to dispatch their oppositions from Salem State to advance to the finals. The Huskies’ duo defeated third-seeded Jovan Jordan-Whitter (Hamilton, Bermuda) and Paul Braude (West Yarmouth, Mass.) from UMass Boston in straight sets (6-4, 7-6 (5)) to capture the championship. The seventh-seeded UMass Dartmouth team was victorious in the consolation finals.

Salem State College Kyle Watson (Saugus, Mass.) and Rob Thomas (Saugus, Mass.) won the championship match at second-flight doubles in straight sets. Watson and Thomas edged their oppositions from Southern Maine (8-6) in the semifinal round, while needing the minimum two sets to knock off second-seeded Bridgewater State College in the finals. The fourth-seeded Beacons claimed the consolation championship.

The fourth-seeded UMass Boston tandem of junior Ali Al-Sabbagh (West Roxbury, Mass.) and freshman Reinaldo Lopes (Brussels, Belgium) advanced to the championship match with a straight-set upset over the No. 1 seed from Salem State. The Beacons’ capped off their first No. 3 doubles championship in 18 years with a three-set come-from-behind victory over third-seeded UMass Dartmouth, 5-7, 7-8, 6-0. UMass Boston fought off eight match points in the title bout. The seventh-seeded Bears earned the title in the consolation bracket.

The 2008 Little East Conference Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament resumes at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 26. The team champion represents the Little East Conference at the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament.


2008 Little East Conference Men’s Tennis Championship Team Standings

1. UMass Boston, 9.0 pts.
2. University of Southern Maine, 7.0
3. UMass Dartmouth, 6.5
4. Bridgewater State College, 6.0
5. Rhode Island College, 5.0
    Salem State College, 5.0
7. Western Connecticut State University, 3.0