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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s tennis team won its third straight Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Tennessee Tech Sunday afternoon at the Centennial Sportsplex Tennis Center. With the win, the Colonels (19-9) clinch a spot in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

The doubles point came down to the No. 1 match where seniors Hugo Klientovsky and Carles Pons stormed back for a 9-7 decision.

Four of the six singles matches went to a deciding third set. EKU won two of those matches and was ahead in another when the final outcome was decided. Senior Emilio Piriz clinched the team championship with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph at No. 6 singles.

Eastern Kentucky’s other two points came from Klientovsky (No. 1) and fellow senior Parul Verma (No. 4).

Tennessee Tech (11-8) did not drop a conference match in the regular season including a 4-3 win over Eastern on March 24.

EKU now has a couple of weeks to prepare for the NCAA championships which begin on May 11.

2012 OVC Championships – Finals
#3 Eastern Kentucky 4, #1 Tennessee Tech 1

Singles
1. Hugo Klientovsky (EKU) def. Syrym Abdukhalikov (TTU)  4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Niklas Schroeder (EKU) led Alex Chen (TTU)    1-6, 6-4, 5-3 DNF
3. Alejandro Augusto (TTU) led Philip Janz (EKU)   1-6, 7-6 (4), 2-1 DNF
4. Parul Verma (EKU) def. Artem Tarasov (TTU)    6-3, 6-3
5. Justin Kirstein (TTU) def. Joao Maio (EKU)    6-4, 6-2
6. Emilio Piriz (EKU) def. Vasily Eremeev (TTU)    4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. Klientovsky/Pons (EKU) def. Abdukhalikov/Chen (TTU)  9-7
2. Janz/Schroeder (EKU) def. Eremeev/Tarasov (TTU)   8-3
3. Augusto/Kirstein (TTU) def. Dombrowski/Verma (EKU)  8-6

Match Notes: Eastern Kentucky (19-9); Tennessee Tech (11-8)
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (1, 4, 5, 6*)