Both the Middlebury men’s and women’s tennis teams returned to action this past weekend after traveling to California for multiple matches over spring break. The women played five matches while on the West Coast, emerging with a 2-3 record with wins against Chicago and Pomona-Pitzer and losses to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, U.C. San Diego and Azusa Pacific. The men’s team competed in a staggering eight matches while in southern California, recording only a pair of losses to Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Following their spring break trips the teams returned home, with the women recording a pair of NESCAC victories against Hamilton and Conn. College on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5, respectively. The men also went undefeated on the weekend, ousting Skidmore and Hamilton on the road on Saturday before returning to Middlebury to host Conn. College on Sunday.
The sixth-ranked men’s team picked up two victories at Skidmore and Hamilton to improve to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The squad opened their weekend by securing victories in two of the three flights of doubles competition. Palmer Campbell ’16 and Peter Heidrich ’15 were unable to capture the top-flight victory, falling to Skidmore’s duo by a score of 8-6. Ari Smolyar ’16 and Noah Farrell ’18 picked up the 9-7 decision in the second flight.
The Panthers’ success continued in singles play, with Middlebury earning wins in five of the six flights. Smolyar was successful at number one, recording 6-4 and 6-0 scores over his Skidmore opponent. Farrell dropped his first set but rebounded with 6-1 and 10-5 wins to earn Middlebury a point in the second flight. The Thoroughbreds captured a lone point in the singles portion of the match and ultimately fell to the Panthers by a score of 7-2.
The team then faced the Hamilton Continentals and raced out to a decisive 3-0 start with 8-1 victories in all flights of doubles matches. Heidrich and Campbell, the third-ranked doubles team in the region, cruised past their competition and were mirrored by the teams of Smolyar and Farrell, and William de Quant ’18 and Kyle Schlanger ’18.
In singles play the team sported a varied lineup, with Courtney Mountifield ’15 playing at the top spot for the first time this spring. Mountifield was unsuccessful at the top position, dropping the match 6-4, 6-4. Timo van der Geest ’18 and de Quant earned wins at number three and two, respectively. Heidrich, Chris Frost ’15 and Schlanger rounded out the singles play with wins for Middlebury, leveling the final score at 7-2 in favor of the Panthers.
After the pair of road victories the Panthers men returned home to face in-conference opponent Conn. College. As in the Hamilton contest, Middlebury swept the doubles matches with victories from Frost and de Quant (8-1) in the third flight, Smolyar and Farrell (8-0) at two and Heidrich and Campbell (8-6) in the first position.
The team’s success continued in singles action in which the squad dropped only 12 games in four straight-set victories. Smolyar improved to 22-2 on the season in individual play, capturing a 6-1, 6-1 victory to lead the Panthers. Wins by Jackson Frons ’16, de Quant and van der Geest allowed the match to be decided without need to play the final two singles matches.
With the successful weekend the Panthers improve to 11-2 on the season and return to action on Wednesday, April 8 against Williams and again on Friday, April 10 against Tufts. The pair of NESCAC matches will be played at Middlebury’s Duke Nelson Arena.
The women’s team also returned from California to face Hamilton on the road last week. The Panthers picked up a 9-0 victory coming out to a strong 3-0 start in doubles play. The team dropped a total of nine games in the trio of victories. Ria Gerger ’16 and Lily Bondy ’17 took home an 8-1 victory in the top flight and Jennifer Sundstrom ’17 and Kaysee Orozco ’17 won 8-4 in the second position. Alexandra Fields ’17 and Lauren Amos ’16 rounded out doubles play with an identical 8-4 victory at number three.
Panther domination continued in singles play, with the team winning 72 of 89 games. Fields cruised to a decisive victory to lead the Panthers. Orozco, Margot Marchese ’16, Katie Paradies ’15, Sadie Shackelford ’16 and Sundstrom all triumphed in their singles appearances, securing the 9-0 sweeping victory for Middlebury.
The team got back to work on Sunday, April 5, facing Conn. College at home in Middlebury. In similar fashion to the previous day’s outcome at Hamilton, the Panthers swept all three flights of doubles matches. Amos and Fields struck first, earning Middlebury a point in the third flight. Sundstrom and Orozco answered with an 8-0 decision at number two and Gerger and Bondy secured the sweep with an 8-2 victory in the top flight.
Singles play was cut short as the Panthers lost just four games in the two matches needed to establish a victory on the day. Amos took the court and made it 4-0 in favor of Middlebury with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph. Gerger, ranked ninth regionally, sealed the fate of the Conn. College squad with a 6-2, 6-1 win. The rest of the singles matches went unfinished following her performance.
The successful weekend places the Panthers at 7-3 overall and they remain perfect in the NESCAC, in which they sit 2-0. The team will take the week to prepare for Saturday’s in-conference match against Williams which is set to be held at home in Duke Nelson Arena.
