BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore Alex Maldonado (Danbury, Conn.) won in straight sets at fourth singles, but the visiting Western Connecticut State University Wolves wee beaten by the University of Massachusetts-Boston Beacons, 6-1, in the final Little East Conference (LEC) men's tennis match for both teams this afternoon.  WestConn drops to 5-13 and finishes the season with a 2-4 conference record, while the Beacons, playing in their final match of the regular season, are 9-9 and 4-2 in the league.

Both teams have qualified for the LEC Championship Tournament and the Wolves will open the post-season as the No. 5 seed on the road against the No. 4-seeded Salem State University Vikings on Tuesday.  In doubles , Maldonado and classmate Henry Gsell (Bridgewater, Conn.) put up the biggest fight before losing on a tiebreaker, 7-6 (4), at the bottom of the ladder.  Maldonado dusted his opponent, 6-44, 6-1, but the Beacons took four singles points in straight sets.  WestConn senior Aidan Burke (Wilton, Conn.) battled to split sets, 6-7, 7-5, but lost 10-4 in a third-set tiebreaker. 

"Despite the loss today, the guys overall played very hard," said WestConn Head Coach Shawn Stillman. "The match on Aidan's court was epic, just fell a little short in the tiebreaker. We were in position on a few courts to take control of the match but didn't see it through to the end."