Panthers emerge from NESCAC undefeated

Author: Eri Nosaka

This past week the men's tennis team triumphed over three notable teams. The Panthers started off the week against Union College and crushed them with a score of 7-0. Then on April 16 Middlebury played Amherst College. Amherst, ranked 20th in the nation, proved to be a tough competitor giving some of the players not as easy of a match as expected. Ari Beilin '06 dropped his first set 4-6, but came back with 6-0 and 6-1 wins in his second and third sets. Nate Edmunds '06 also played to three sets and won 6-2, 2-6, 11-9 (10-point tiebreaker). In the end, the Panthers defeated the Jeffs with a score of 6-1.

However, the story of the week was the home game against Trinity College. Middlebury students, parents and faculty gathered around the tennis courts on a sunny Sunday to witness the seniors' last home NESCAC game of their college careers. And in typical Middlebury tennis fashion, the team easily dominated over Trinity College with a score of 6-1. There were impressive wins from Alex Meditz '05 (6-1, 6-2) and Justin Ingoglia '05 (6-1, 6-3). Other wins came from Beilin, Edmunds, George Mayer '07, Beilin/Alex Scott '07 and Edmunds/Brian Waldron '06.

"I thought Justin Ingoglia and Alex Meditz played exceptionally well in our match on Sunday against Trinity. It was great to see them both win easily in their last big regular season home match of their college careers. I thought the team competed very well this weekend. We definitely established our dominance over some very strong teams in the NESCAC," said co-captain Beilin about the team's success this week.

From Friday, April 22 until Sunday, April 24, the Panthers will be competing in the NESCAC Championship tournament vying for another championship title. Currently they are ranked number one and are the favorites to win the championship. The Middlebury Panthers are entering the NESCAC Championships undefeated for the third consecutive year. However, despite the optimistic predictions, the team continues to maintain their concentration during practices and during games.

"This week, the team is going to focus continually on making improvements. It is this part of the season that will make or break our postseason and we need to work hard. NESCACs are always a lot of fun. There is a lot of tennis and everyone is pushed hard. I like our chances, but the competition is always fierce," said co- captain Meditz.

On Wednesday, April 20 the team will play Skidmore College at the Proctor Courts. It will be the Panthers' last home game of the season and their last regular season test before the start of the NESCAC Championships.