Tennis rebounds at Dartmouth

Some things just never seem to change about Middlebury Athletics, and the glowing success of the men’s tennis squad is certainly no exception. Last weekend’s less-than-exemplary performance at Williams’ ITA Tournament has quickly been forgotten as the Panthers returned this weekend in top form at the Dartmouth Shootout.

The Ivy League tournament features top competitors from Division III schools as well as Division I schools, but the stiff competition was no match for the poised Panthers as they powered their way to many victories. Most impressive among the Panthers’ numerous accomplishments this weekend were the combined efforts of singles players Andy Peters ’11 and Teddy Fitzgibbons ’14.

The experienced Peters and rookie Fitzgibbons battled their way through the A-flight, featuring the toughest players from around the area, only to meet each other in the finals. Peters cruised through to the finals without dropping a set and downed teammate Fitzgibbons 6-2, 6-3 in the final. Fitzgibbons also managed an impressive victory over Amherst’s Austin Chafetz on his way to meeting Peters in the all-Panthers affair.

Spencer Lunghino ’13 picked up the C-flight championship with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the finals over Reindel of Amherst. Reindel advanced to the finals by ousting another Middlebury first-year, Zach Bruchmiller ’14, in a tight third set super-tiebreak by a score of 10-8.

Doubles play also saw Middlebury domination. Peters returned with first-year partner Brantner Jones ’14 to secure the A-flight championship in an intense 8-7 victory over Roby-Greif of Dartmouth. Peters and Brantner faced five match points and a 6-3 deficit before clinching the title 11-9 in a decisive tiebreak. Their victory was especially sweet because it came in part at the expense of one of the doubles’ teams from Brown University, where former Middlebury head coach Dave Schwarz is now employed.

Panthers also prevailed in the D and E-flight doubles tournaments. D-flight went to the duo of Spencer Lunghino ’13 and Will Oberrender ’13 8-6 in the finals, and first-years James Burke ’14 and Andrew Lebovitz ’14 cruised to victory with a smooth 8-3 win. Fitzgibbons and Bruchmiller saw some success at B-flight doubles but fell to Dartmouth’s DeBot and Ghorbani in a super-tiebreak in the final.

It was no surprise to see that Panthers dominate Dartmouth the way they did, but it sure was refreshing for the players after a few disappointing losses at the ITA tournament.

“The team was very happy with the way we played at Dartmouth this weekend, overall,” said Jeronimo Roethkoe ’11. “We definitely feel as though we’re improving with every week, and we remain confident that we have a chance to make another serious run at a title if we keep putting in the hard work week in and week out.”

While these tournaments do not count toward the Panthers contention for a repeat NESCAC championship, they still gauge the players’ standings and keep their games conditioned through the fall and winter until the real domination starts.

Men’s tennis boasts a lethal mix of youth and experience that will undoubtedly lead the squad to many more victories this fall season.