CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Kutztown was triumphant in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regionals on Saturday, taking down second-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan 5-2 to advance to the next round.
Kutztown (12-3) came in as the seventh and final seed into the tournament, after finishing second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championships. The Golden Bears proved that they belong with the victory versus No. 2 seed WVWC. KU will face the winner of the Edinboro and Charleston match in the next round.
Charleston is the third seed and the host of the bottom half of the bracket, and Edinboro defeated KU in the PSAC championships.
Kutztown utilized a 2-1 advantage coming out of doubles play to be able to secure the match in singles competition.
Rushi Amin and Varun Desai teamed up for their 18th doubles victory this season and 15th at No. 1. The duo took down Joel Izquierdo and Aitor Reparaz 8-5. At the second doubles flight, Rich Lichtenwalner and Ben Nace fought for a much-needed 9-8 victory against Andres Fernandes and Jose Titonel to put KU up 2-1.
Amin and Desai harvested the momentum into singles play with straight-set victories, with Amin defeating Izquierdo 6-3, 6-1 at the top flight, and Desai beating Reparaz 7-6, 6-3 at No. 2. The victory was clinched at No. 3 singles, with Matthew Maguire taking down Timothy Stevens in straight sets (6-4, 6-2).
