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SOMERSET, N.J. -- Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis standout Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Riga Language School) was named Northeast Conference Player of the Month, announced by the league on Thursday.

Berzins, the 2011-12 NEC Player and Rookie of the Year, jumped out to a strong start over the first month of the spring season, posting a 4-2 singles record and 3-2 doubles mark along with partner Ibrahim Shams (Cairo, Egypt/Manor House).

The No. 1 flight competitor opened spring play with a 6-2, 6-1 win over NEC rival Zac Brown of Bryant, and picked up victories over opponents from Stony Brook, Marist and Saint Peter's. Berzins also battled the No. 3 ranked player in the country, Princeton's Matija Pecotic, falling 6-1, 6-2, and took five games off of Yale's John Huang, ranked 49th in the nation.

The Latvia native was also impressive in defeat in doubles action, losing 8-7 to Princeton's Matija Pecotic and Matt Splinder, ranked 29th nationally. Berzins and Shams also trailed Yale's No. 59-ranked duo of Daniel Hoffman and Marc Powers by a 6-5 margin in a match that was halted prior to completion. 

On the year, Berzins is 9-7 (1-0 NEC) in singles play.