Flash Points:

• SFU Men's Tennis is headed back to the NEC Championship Match for the second straight year.
• The Red Flash earned a 4-1 win over Wagner on Saturday in the NEC Semifinals.
• Saint Francis, the No. 2 seed, won four singles matches after Wagner, the No. 3 seed, won the doubles point.
• The Red Flash will meet No. 1 Bryant in Sunday's NEC Championship.
• The NEC Championships are being played at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Saint Francis Men's Tennis team is returning to the NEC Championship match after earning a 4-1 win over Wagner on Saturday in the NEC Semifinals.  The Red Flash, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, won four singles matches after the Seahawks, the No. 3 seed, won the doubles point.
 
Saint Francis, led by Head Coach Rob Castille, improved to 15-4 this season and advanced to the NEC Championship match for the second straight season after reaching it for the first time in program history last season.  In Sunday's Championship Match, which begins at Noon at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J., the Red Flash will meet the top seed, Bryant, who earned a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.  The Red Flash and the Bulldogs did not meet in the regular season but set up a re-match of last year's NEC Championship match, which Bryant won 4-0.

"This was a great effort from our guys and we are happy to be back in the final with a chance to bring back the first tennis championship to Saint Francis," said Castille. "In doubles, I don't think we played poorly. Wagner just played better than us. I challenged the guys to rise to the occasion and com in firing on all cylinders in singles and they responded. I wanted a sweep of the first three singles matches to setup our 4-6 players to close things out and they did just that. We know things don't get any easier tomorrow when we play Bryant. We'll get some rest and be ready to go."
 
Seniors Plamen Avuski (Plovdiv, Bulgaria /Math High School ) and Eli Cerdan (Bloomfield, N.J. /Saint Mary High School) matched up against Wagner's Eric Poland and Dylan Walters at No. 2 doubles.  The Red Flash duo fell 6-3 and is now 10-3 this Spring.
 
Freshmen Arturo Dell'eva (Verona, Italy/Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy) and Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Laurel Springs) competed at No. 3 against the Seahawks' Charlton Boyd and Ilya Kneppelhout.  The SFU pair dropped a 6-3 decision.
 
At No. 1 doubles, junior Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (Md.)) and senior Rodrigo Tico (Guadalajara, Mexico/Colegio de Bachilleres) combined against Wagner's Anatoliy Lashkul and Dale Sandy.  The Red Flash duo was trailing 5-3 when the match was stopped.
 
Foo-Kune met Wagner's Lashkul at the top singles spot.  The Saint Francis senior claimed the first set, 6-1.  He completed the straight-set victory with a 6-2 win in the second set.  Foo-Kune improved to 12-6 this Spring and 5-0 in NEC matches.
 
In the match at No. 2, Luna took on the Seahawks' Sandy.  The Red Flash rookie earned a 6-2 win in the opening set.  Luna repeated that performance in the next set to complete the sweep.  Luna is now 14-3 in dual matches.
 
Dell'eva faced Wagner's Hans Ohrner at No. 3.  The SFU freshman won the first set, 6-3.  He bettered that performance in the second set, winning 6-2.  Dell'eva moved to 11-2 this season.
 
Avuski competed against the Seahawks' Poland in the match at No. 5.  The Saint Francis senior took the opening set, 6-1.  He completed the sweep with a 6-4 victory in the second set.  Avuski improved to 14-3 this Spring.
 
At No. 4, Tico matched up against Wagner's Walters.  The SFU senior claimed the first set, 6-4.  Tico was trailing 3-2 in the second set when the match was stopped.
 
Cerdan took on the Seahawks' Boyd at No. 6.  The SFU senior was down 4-3 in the first set when the match was halted.
 
Doubles:
1. Foo-Kune/Tico(SFU) vs. Lashkul/Sandy(WC), 3-5, unfinished
2. Poland/Walters(WC) def. Avuski/Cerdan(SFU), 6-3
3. Boyd/Kneppelhout(WC) def. Dell'eva/Luna(SFU), 6-3
 
Singles:
1. Foo-Kune(SFU) def. Lashkul(WC), 6-1, 6-2
2. Luna(SFU) def. Sandy(WC), 6-2, 6-2
3. Dell'eva(SFU) def. Ohrner(WC), 6-3, 6-2
4. Tico(SFU) vs. Walters(WC), 6-4, 2-3, unfinished
5. Avuski(SFU) def. Poland(WC), 6-1, 6-4
6. Cerdan(SFU) vs. Boyd(WC), 3-4, unfinished