Villanova no match against men's tennis

Author: Jeff Patterson

There are nine days in a weeklong vacation, nine judges on the Supreme Court and there have been nine-nothing scores in almost every Middlebury men's tennis match this spring. Whether facing a local challenger or a faraway foe, Middlebury has been far and away the supreme team on the court.

"We have definitely had some great results so far this spring," said Tri-Captain Kevin Bergesen '07. "Our schedule gets progressively harder as the season continues, so we try to focus as hard as we can in the early matches and beat teams as efficiently as possible. In the next three weeks we play five huge NESCAC matches, which will be a true test of how we stand and how we have progressed since March."

On Saturday April 7, the men's team made light work of Villanova and Colby-Sawyer, blanking both of them by nine-nothing scores. The Panthers won 17 of their 18 matches in straight sets, winning 70 percent of the games against the Wildcats and 80 percent against the Chargers.

"It's definitely pretty cool beating a Division I team, especially one in the Big East Conference," said Tri-Captain George Mayer '07, a 6-4, 6-3 winner against Villanova's number- three singles player Scott Fahrendorf. "We always knew that we were capable of beating a lot of respectable Division I teams, and beating Villanova certainly backed that up."

Tri-Captain Alex Scott '07, the third-ranked singles player in Division III easily took care of Villanova's number one Sean Daly 6-1, 6-2. He also combined with Mayer to win their number one doubles match 8-3.

The infamous early morning workouts are definitely paying off.

"Our team's win over Villanova Saturday is a reflection of how hard we have been working so far this season," said Scott.

"Teams like Villanova face great competition in every match, so they are always ready for us," said Bergesen, who came back from being down a set and a break in the second to beat number-four singles player Dimitri Chimerakus. "All of our guys really stepped it up today. Beating Villanova 9-0 is a very solid result."

Bergesen solidified the team's shutout of Villanova after he made some advantageous adjustments.

"I knew that I had been a little off the whole match, and I was confident that I could turn it around," said Bergesen. "I played two great games to make it 2-2, then pretty much had my way in the rest of the match."

This spring, the Panthers have been treating their foes like fellow felines - giving them nine lives to try to survive - but in seven out of their 11 matches, Middlebury has completely killed the opposition with its sharp canine molars and even sharper volleys.

Given the Panthers' numerous nine-victory matches, it stands to reason that the International Maritime signal for nine is a flag made up of blue and white stripes.

On Wednesday at 4 p.m. the third-ranked Panthers will host sixth-ranked Williams in an important match. "Williams is always one of the most intense matches of the year," said Mayer. "They are without a doubt our biggest rival in the NESCAC. We have been fortunate to come out on top against them every time we have played them since I have been here. Several of the matches were 4-3 decisions though, including the national championship in 2004 and the NESCAC championship last year, and they could have gone either way."

"They are definitely going to be fired up to play us, but I think we'll be ready to battle," he said. "We'll work pretty hard Monday and then have an easier practice on Tuesday so that we are ready to roll. Hopefully we will utilize the home court advantage."

Bergesen has a game plan. "We just have to stay confident and make the most of the opportunity to play them on our home courts," he said. "We've been waiting for this match since the beginning of the season, and I know all the guys are really pumped for it."

In China, the number nine is viewed as a lucky number because it sounds like the word for "long lasting," but across the East China Sea, the number is considered unlucky, because of its similarity to the Japanese word for "pain." Without a doubt, Middlebury has been playing as fine as china, while many of their opponents - Villanova and Colby-Sawyer included - have been experiencing plenty of distress.