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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

NESCAC Opponents No Match for Both Tennis Squads

The Middlebury women’s tennis team continued its season over the weekend on April 11-13 with two wins against Wesleyan and Trinity and losses against Emory and Williams. After losing two matches in a row against top squads Williams and Emory on Friday, the 10th-ranked Panthers came back to decisively beat number 15 Trinity and Wesleyan both 7-2. The Panthers traveled to Bowdoin to play Emory for their first of three matches over the weekend, falling to the Eagles 9-0. In doubles, Lauren Amos ’16 and Margot Marchese ’16 fell 8-6, as did pair Alexandra Fields ’17 and Jennifer Sundstrom ’17. Emory swept singles in straight sets to shut out the Panthers. Marchese believed that the team did not perform as well as it could have, but it did not hamper the team’s performance the rest of the weekend.

“We knew that in those two matches we lost that we didn’t show Williams or Emory our best performance,” Marchese said. “We chalked it up to two bad days and told ourselves, we still have plenty of chances to prove what this team is actually capable of. We went into Trinity with the weakest elements of our last two matches in mind and made a special effort to turn those around. I was particularly proud of the energy, fight, and resilience that the team showed in the long weekend.”

The team continued its weekend with a match against Trinity on Saturday, winning two out of three doubles matches and all but one of the six singles match-ups. In singles, Dorie Paradies ’14 and Katie Paradies ’15 won with straight sets, while Fields and Kaysee Orozco ’17 won in three sets. On Sunday, the team traveled to Middletown to face Wesleyan. They finished out the weekend strong with a 7-2 win, grabbing all but one of the doubles games and five out of six singles contests. In doubles, Sadie Shackelford ’16 and Lily Bondy ’17 as well as duo Amos and Marchese were victorious. In singles, Orozco, Bondy, Katie Paradies and Marchese all won in straight sets. A three-set victory by Dorrie Paradies brought the Panthers up to seven points and an 8-4 record.

“The team’s goal for the remainder of the season is to heal up and prepare ourselves for each match as if we were entering the first round of NCAAs,” Marchese said. “All 10 of us know that if we walk onto the court with the same type of tenacity, sheer will, and unity that we saw on Saturday and Sunday, the next three matches will take care of themselves.”

The Panthers will host Bowdoin next Saturday.

The Middlebury men’s tennis team captured three wins in three days with victories against Williams, Wesleyan and Trinity, bringing its record to 12-2. In the matchup against Williams, the Panthers swept doubles, with pairs Alex Johnston ’14 and Andrew Lebovitz ’14, Palmer Campbell ’16 and last week’s NESCAC Player of the Week Brantner Jones ’14, and Peter Heidrich ’15 and Ari Smolyar ’16 all proving victorious. Coach Bob Hansen believes that this was instrumental in the win against Williams.

“Sweeping the doubles is a great thing and certainly set the table for our win against Williams,” Hansen said. “I was very proud of all our teams but especially our third doubles team of Ari Smolyar and Peter Heidrich who fought off a match point before winning the final three points to win 8-6 in the tiebreaker.”

In singles, Campbell, Jones and Smolyar won again, while the Ephs grabbed three points, defeating Jackson Frons ’16, Johnston and Courtney Mountifield ’15. The Panthers went on to play Wesleyan on the road and brought their winning streak up to four with a 7-2 win. The teams of Campbell/Jones and Johnston/Lebovitz put points on the board in doubles, and the Panthers won five of six singles matches with a hard win by Johnston in the number one singles spot. Jones, Smolyar, Mountifield and Frons added singles points to bring the Panther total to seven.

On Sunday, the eighth-ranked Panthers added another win to the season with an 8-1 victory. Johnston/Lebovitz and Campbell/Jones were again victorious in doubles, and the Panthers swept all six singles match-ups for a decisive win over the Bantams. Coach Hansen was very positive about the Panthers’ weekend.

“The biggest key to our success both this weekend and all season long has been the total team effort from top to bottom,” Hansen said. “We got key victories from everyone this weekend and our motto of ’14, ‘Strong,’ was on full display. We are very deep in both talent and character and the unselfish nature of this team has been a critical and enjoyable aspect of our season.”

Hansen praised Jones for his leadership as well as his play over the weekend as well.

“Brantner Jones had a great weekend,” Hansen said, “going 6-0 with three keys wins in both singles and doubles. His attitude, skill and leadership have been key to our recent successes. He has been a great leader and his recognition as NESCAC Player of the Week was well deserved and he continues to impress.”

The Panthers continue the season on April 19 when they host Bowdoin and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.


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