WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – Binghamton men's tennis defeated No. 5 FDU 4-2 in the semifinal of the Northeast Conference tournament to advance to their third straight championship match.

The day started out with Dylan Breen and Filipe Costa dominating in the No. 2 doubles match, taking a 6-1 victory. FDU won the No. 3 doubles 6-3, leaving the No. 1 doubles as the deciding factor for the doubles point.

Ronin Lotlikar and Harry Liao played in the No. 1 position and got out to a good lead at 5-3. The Knights were able to rally and tie up the game at 5-5, leaving all eyes on the two squads battling for the point. Lotlikar and Liao kept their cool and were able to rattle off the two points needed to win 7-5 and claim the doubles point in Binghamton's favor.

In singles action, Liao was the first to finish, winning in straight sets 6-4 6-3 in the No. 3 position. Lotlikar finished shortly after, finishing with the same score of 6-4 6-3 over top Knight player Gryffin Minor, giving the Bearcats a 3-0 lead.

Despite Binghamton needing just one more point to clinch the match, FDU began to surge back by winning games five and six, putting the pressure on the Bearcats with the score being at 3-2.

With three matches still going on, all eyes were on the No. 4 match, as Andre Ajed was looking for Binghamton's fourth point after a dominating 6-1 first set. Ajed led for most of the second set, but FDU's Tauras Mickus battled back and forced a tiebreaker round. Despite Mickus having the late rally, he would be unsuccessful against Ajed's will to win, as the junior Bearcat put the match away with a 7-3 victory in the tiebreaker and Binghamton's fourth and final point to clinch the semifinal match.

The Bearcats will face off against No. 2 Wagner in the championship round. Wagner defeated No. 7 Stonehill 4-2 in the quarterfinal round and No. 6 Le Moyne 4-1 in the semifinal. A 1-2 championship showdown takes place on Saturday as the Bearcats seek their third consecutive NEC championship.