Manchester, N.H. - History has been made for the top-seeded Adelphi University men's tennis team, which won the program's first-ever NE10 Championship on Friday with a 4-0 triumph over No. 2 seed Southern New Hampshire University at the Ouellette Stadium Tennis Courts in Manchester.

Since their first head-to-head meeting as members of the NE10 in 2012, the Panthers (13-7) had only ever won two straight against SNHU (13-5) in 2014 and 2015.

The win marks the first-ever three-game winning streak against the Penmen, who came in as last year's NE10 Tournament champion and won six of the last ten league titles.

As a result, the 'Cats have now won the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II Championship and will learn their tournament fate in a selection show airing Monday night (May 6) at 8 p.m. on NCAA.com.

"It was an incredible effort from the entire team today. I'm proud of them for their fight and for making history," said Head Coach Rebecca Fakas. "We knew coming in that it was going to be a battle against a tough SNHU team, and they did a great job, staying mentally tough from the beginning."

The drama didn't take long to unfold either. A crucial tiebreak at No. 1 doubles between Adelphi's Marko Jovanovic and Thomas Horsley and SNHU's Jesse Den Hartog and Cade Nadeau set the tone.

With a chance to capture momentum early, Jovanovic and Horsley -- who were both recognized to the NE10 All-Championship Team -- won 8-6 in nailbiting fashion in their only tiebreaker against a Division II opponent this season.

Jovanovic continued to keep SNHU on its toes, winning 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles over one-time NE10 Player and Rookie of the Year Jonathan Berling. Hugo Munoz Reinoso then took down Melvin Vix in straight sets (6-3, 6-0) at No. 4 to put the 'Cats on the brink of their first championship.

With the spotlight on No. 5 singles as the potential match-clinching court, Horsley played a perfect backhanded shot down the line that resulted in a 6-4, 6-4 victory, thereby cementing the decision.

"We've come a long way. Last year, we had a tough loss against the same team, and we've worked hard since then," said NE10 Championship Most Valuable Player Viktor Hockl. "I'm just so happy for everybody, and I'm happy to be a part of this team."

Head Coach Rebecca Fakas and the Panthers will now prepare for the NCAA Division II Championship, which begins May 13-14 with regional competition at host sites.