Men’s tennis loses first match since March

The top-seeded Middlebury Panthers tennis team lost for just the second time all season Saturday, falling 6-3 to fourth-ranked Amherst. The Panthers fell to 16-2 (6-1) on the season while the Lord Jeffs set a new team record with their 29th win of the year, which includes their fall season. The loss ended the Panthers 25-match winning streak in the NESCAC and marked the first Lord Jeffs win over the Panthers since 2001.
The Panthers started the match with a win from the third doubles team. Middlebury’s David Farah ’12 and Spencer Lunghino ’13 defeated Andrew Jung and Mark Kahan of Amherst 8-3.  Despite the early doubles lead, the Panthers ceded control of the three doubles matches for just the third time this year.
After Farah and Lunghino gave the Panthers an early lead in the match the Lord Jeffs took a 2-1 lead in the match by controlling the first and second doubles matches.  Senior tri-captain Andrew Peters ’11 and Brantner Jones ’14 lost 8-2 to Luis Rattenhuber and Austin Chafetz of Amherst.  In the number two doubles match, the Lord Jeffs Wes Waterman and Moritz Koenig beat the tri-captain team of Mike Malhame ’11 and Derrick Angle ’12 8-5. Malhame and Angle put up a good fight against the sixth-ranked doubles team in the country but could not come out on top.
The Panthers could not match the excellent singles play of the Lord Jeffs as they lost four of six singles matches. Tenth-ranked Andy Peters dropped two sets by a single break to 25th-ranked Luis Rattenhuber in the first singles match losing by a score of 7-5, 6-4.
In the second singles match Mark Kahan, the 36th-ranked singles player defeated Zach Bruchmiller ’14 in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. Bruchmiller appeared to be on the verge of forcing a third set up 5-2 in the second set, but Kahan rallied to win the next five games to take the second set 7-5 and win the match. Kahan has now won his last 12 straight matches with the second singles win against the Panthers.
The Panthers also dropped the third and fifth singles matches as Austin Chafetz downed Angle 6-2, 6-4 and Joey Fritz outplayed Lunghino 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to clinch the victory for Amherst.
The Panthers remaining two wins came from the fourth and sixth singles positions where Alec Parower ’13 and Jones both recorded wins. Jones improved to 11-1 on the season in the sixth singles position downing Andrew Jung 6-2, 7-6 (7-0). Parower meanwhile ran his record to 7-0 at fourth singles (12-3 overall) after sailing by Wes Waterman 6-3, 6-3.
Despite the loss, the Panthers remain if not the heavy favorite, certainly a contender to win the NESCAC tournament which will occur this weekend. To defend their NESCAC championship the Panthers would almost certainly have to play their way by the Lord Jeffs who remain undefeated in the NESCAC.
The Panthers may have multiple shots at retribution against Amherst who they could then face once again in the NCAA tournament where the Panthers will once again be looking to defend their crown as the Kings of Division III tennis. Amherst also advanced deep into last year’s national tournament, but were eventually knocked off in the semi-final round and did not get a chance to face off against Middlebury. However, both teams figure to make a major push again this year.
The Panthers semifinal opponent in the NESCAC tournament has yet to be determined. Amherst is the only NESCAC school that the Panthers did not defeat this last spring season.