Youth Impresses as Men's Tennis Takes Two

Author: Bob Wainwright

The Middlebury men's tennis season began with two decisive wins last Saturday as the Panthers defeated both Skidmore and Union, 7-0. Against Skidmore, sophomore Justin Ingoglia took on the top spot, while winning handily 7-5, 6-3. First-year Nate Edmunds played in similar dominating fashion, downing his opponent 6-1, 6-2 at #2 singles. Fellow rookie Ari Beilin '06 won at #3 singles, dropping only two games in the match. And at spots four through six, Andrew Jacobi '05, co-captain Stu Brown '04 and Mike DiRaimondo '05 all won in straight sets, respectively. Middlebury also swept the doubles action as Ingoglia and Edmunds led the way with an 8-2 triumph. The new team of Brown and Beilin won 8-1, while sophomores DiRaimondo and Jacobi eked out a 9-7 victory.
Following the Skidmore match, the second half of Middlebury's line-up took on Union with similar success. Brian Waldron '06 played his first match at #1 singles and won, 6-1, 6-2. Veteran co-captain Steve Hulce '03.5 then dropped only two games in a straight set win. Sophomore Alex Meditz followed suit at #3 singles, by losing only one game in the match. And not to be outdone, Jeff Oldenburg '06 cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at the four spot. Senior Rick Jamgochian won 6-1, 6-2 at #5, while Matt Rales '06 reversed his graduation year twice with a 6-0, 6-0 win.
Jamgochian summed up the matches as "an exciting opportunity to see the freshmen experience their first dual match." Co-captain Hulce added, "It is a good start to a long season and a jumping off point for our week in California."
The Panthers will be heading out to California this spring break, where they will play five competitive matches. In the past, the team has spent the week in Hilton Head, S.C. Today, however, the Panthers will be at home in Nelson Arena, vying for bragging rights against UVM. The match is at 4 p.m.