Men’s Tennis Bests Mules 8-2 at Colby

 

With its great bench strength, the Middlebury men’s tennis team continued its journey to a national championship as they scored an 8-1 win over Colby College on Sunday, April 14 during a road trip to Maine. The Panthers improved to 14-1 in the season and 4-0 in NESCAC play, and currently sit in ninth place in the most recent national poll.

Due to the cancellation of a much-anticipated clash with the sixth-ranked Bowdoin Polar Bears, head coach Bob Hansen decided to bring only the first-year and sophomore players to take on the Mules, giving the upperclassmen an opportunity to practice over the weekend.

Hansen commented on his team’s weekend and the cancellation of the Bowdoin match.

“We are disappointed about the match with Bowdoin being cancelled as we were really pointing towards that match,” said Hansen.

The contest with Colby proved to be challenging for the young Panthers, as they faced much resilience across the board. In addition, the rain forced the match to be played at the courts in the indoor track field house. The surface was exceptionally slow, which served as a huge home court advantage for the Mules.

The dynamic duo of sophomore Courtney Moutifield ’15 and first-year Allen Jackson ’16 gave Middlebury its first point at the third doubles spot. The pair rolled past their opponents, dropping merely three games in the pro-set. Sophomores Chris Frost ’15 and Peter Heidrich ’15, however, fell to Colby’s number one pair 8-4. The battle came down to the wire when the number two doubles match went into a tiebreaker.

First-years Ari Smolyar ’16 and Palmer Campbell ’16 hung tight and pulled out a crucial victory. The final score in the tiebreaker was 12-10.

Leading 2-1 after doubles play, the Panthers continued to press on. With his consistent groundstrokes, Jackson rallied to a 6-4, 6-2 win at number four singles, giving the Panthers a much-needed two-point advantage. Meanwhile, Frons had a see-saw second set. Relying on his aggressive game, Frons eventually came through with a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at the third spot.

Smolyar had lengthy exchanges and split sets on the second court before his opponent was forced to retire due to a leg cramp. The match was halted at 6-4, 4-6, 3-2, allowing Middlebury to secure the match-clinching fifth point. Mountifield, a steady baseliner, used all four corners of the court and put the match to end with a 6-2 7-5 decision, giving Middlebury its sixth point of the match.

In first and sixth singles matches, Campbell and Heidrich both fell in their first sets but managed to come from behind to win. Campbell adjusted his game to the court surface by hitting a lot of slices. He won 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and Heidrich snatched the win from his competition with the score of 4-6, 6-2, (10-2).

“Our team chemistry is growing stronger and stronger as we learn more clearly that being a championship team is more about finding ways to give and contribute as opposed to looking for what we can get,” said Hansen. “We are still trying to find our strongest lineup and to take full advantage of our great depth.”

The men will look to be tested next week as they host a trio of home matches against strong competition.

On Saturday, April 20, the team faces Stevens Tech. in the morning and then NESCAC-rival and third-ranked Williams in the afternoon. On Sunday, April 21 they will face off with the Jumbos of Tufts. In particular, the match against the Ephs will be a good benchmark to show where the Panthers stand not only in the conference but also in Division III.

Thir next challenge will then come from Amherst, who the Panthers will play in their last regular season game.

The Lord Jeffs won their second consecutive NESCAC championship last year before making a trip to the quarterfinals of the National tournament , where they were defeated by Washington University.

In 2011, Amherst’s conference championship carried over to NCAAs, and they were able to clinch the national championship.

Because both squads have a history of consistently finishing well at NCAAs, this match will have far-reaching implications not only in the NESCAC, but on the national stage, and the winner will be an early favorite at this spring’s nationals.