Spring Break Wrapup

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team recently returned home following a successful spring break trip on the west coast. The Panthers played ten matches in six days, racking up an 8-2 record.

A 5-4 loss to Ventura Community College by Midd’s second team and an 8-1 loss to number one ranked Claremont were the only two hiccups during the trip for the Panthers.  

Freshman Palmer Campbell and Junior Brantner Jones

There were more than a few highlights from the trip. A dramatic come from behind win at the number twelve ranked University of Redlands was one of the most thrilling finishes of the week. Trailing 4-2 in the match with three matches on court, the Panthers fought back for a 5-4 victory capped by Zach Bruchmiller’s third set come back victory at number six singles.

Please visit our facebook group page (search middlebury men’s tennis) for a complete listing of the matches played along with a number of great pictures taken by Mr. Brian Frons.

We would like to extend a very special and heartfelt thank you to all the families of MiddTennis that made this spring break trip so incredible. Mark and Pang Frost, Bob and Jane Oberrender

, Dave and Emily Lunghino, Boyd and Lou Bruchmiller, Theresa Heidrich, Brian and Jeanine Frons all joined us out west and made the trip much more enjoyable through their support, kindness and generosity.

As we hit the main stretch of our conference season, both coaches and players alike are beyond thrilled with the trajectory of the team right now. Please visit the middlebury website http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/menstennis for more info regarding the men’s team schedule and results. 

Gearing Up for Spring Break

Dear Midd Panther Tennis Family and Friends,

We are leaving later today for our Spring Break Trip filled with excitement, motivation and drive.  While the academic workload has been crushing leading up to this trip, our men seem up to the challenge and excited about the many challenges we will face on our trip.  Because of our depth and wanting to test ourselves deeply early in the season we have a brutal schedule of 10 matches in six days!  Many will call it unwise but Adam and I have a great deal of confidence in our courage, strength and conviction and are eager to put our character to the test.

New NCAA Championship Banners at Nelson Indoor Courts

We had a couple of last minute changes to the schedule as we replaced our scheduled match with Biola University with Ventura Community College.  This will actually be a far better match as Ventura is one of the top Junior Colleges in the state and has a number of foreign players in addition to top American juniors.  The match is scheduled for 2:00pm on the Ventura campus.  The other change is our match with Pacific University on March 25^th has been move to noon on the Pomona Pitzer courts. 

We are all very excited about the new banner project here on our home indoor courts in the Nelson Arena.   Thanks to all of your for your amazing support of Panther Tennis as we continue to do everything possible to enhance the experience of our amazing student athletes!

Hope you are able to follow our progress on the web or via twitter as we move through this challenging schedule!

Very best wishes, Coaches Hansen and Kent and the men of Panther Tennis

Opening Weekend Wrapup

Senior Captain Spencer Lunghino

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team got their 2013 Spring Season off on the right foot this past weekend. With three matches in two days, the Panthers stayed busy on Saturday and Sunday en route to a 3-0 start to the season. The weekend’s play was highlighted by a Sunday afternoon 7-2 victory over Bates College, who came into the weekend ranked number twelve in the nation.

Every member of this year’s squad was able to play a match this weekend, and all recorded a Panther victory!   Saturday afternoon the Panthers squared off against both SUNY – Oneonta and Brandeis. Middlebury utilized their deep roster against SUNY – Oneonta, playing members of the team not currently in the top six rotation in route to a 9-0 victory. Later that afternoon, the top players squared off against Brandeis, notching an 8-1 victory. The weekend’s action was capped off with a Sunday afternoon 7-2 win over Bates College. After losing at number one doubles, Midd took five of the six singles matches on their way to the victory.

Adam and I were very pleased with the way we competed from top to bottom as we consistently brought strong energy and focus.  We were able to learn a great deal about our strengths as well as areas that still need attention.

With a weekend off from competition, the Panthers are looking to move their training forward with a full week of practice and a possible intersquad match this weekend. The team will fly to California for our annual spring trip departing on March 22. With ten matches in six days, the trip should be a great test for the Panthers. The schedule over spring break is not only high volume, but also includes of a number of highly nationally ranked teams.

Thanks to all the parents, family and fans that were able to join us for our opening weekend.  It was a pleasure to see you and share some great Panther tennis as we opened our season.  

Fall Wrapup

The  formal fall season for the Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team wrapped up last week. The last week of practice came to an end with a highly competitive and enjoyable intersquad match Saturday. The next phase for the Panthers will be a period of captain’s practices leading up to the J Term. This phase will be led by the three senior captains; Will Oberrender, Alec Parower, and Spencer Lunghino.

Looking back on the fall season, there were many highlights. Player development was a successful focal point of the fall season. Many strides were made in both singles and doubles play throughout the fall. Quite a few new Panthers showed a ton of improvement in a short period of time. Freshman Jack Welch entered the fall with some ground to gain on some other higher ranked recruits, and through his hard work at practice, he did just that. Palmer Campbell made a statement at the Fall ITA with a run to the semi finals dispatching several quality opponents.  Jackson Frons opened his Panther career with a great win at the Midd Invite beating a very experienced opponent.  The improvement of the freshmen was not the only highlight of the fall season. The Panthers have found a very solid doubles team in the pairing of Lunghino and junior transfer Alex Johnston. The play of Johnston has definitely been a bright spot for the Panthers. Johsnton and Lunghino put on a brilliant display of doubles at the Dartmouth Shootout, winning the “A” flight in impressive fashion.

Some of the younger Panthers excelled during the fall season as well. A huge highlight from the fall was the play of freshman Ari Smolyar at the Dartmouth Shootout. Smolyar won all seven matches he played in at the tournament, teaming up with sophomore Courtney Mountifield to win the “D” flight doubles draw. In addition to his great leadership senior Will Oberrender was impressive in his singles effort at Dartmouth beating several Div l opponents.  At the Bates Invitational Tournament, the sophomore duo of Chris Frost and Peter Heidrich took down two quality opponents in doubles, knocking off the number two doubles teams for both Bates and Bowdoin. Another huge contributor to the Panther squad this fall was senior captain Alec Parower. Parower fought through a painful hand injury throughout the fall. His positive attitude and incredible work ethic were a huge source of inspiration for fellow Panthers. Parower’s fall was highlighted by a nice run at the Fall ITA Regional Tournament, where he had a couple of solid wins before falling to Mark Kahan of Amherst in one of the tournament’s best played matches.

From an overall program and team culture standpoint, the team is very much together and on the same page in regards to the common goals shared for the rest of the season. The senior leadership of this team has definitely helped put everyone in a great position to improve everyday in a positive environment, while also making the transition to college tennis incredibly smooth for all of the new members to the program. Many thanks to all parents and alumni for supporting the Middlebury Tennis Program in their efforts to forge a championship team. We will keep you posted with our next projects as we raise support for our Spring Break trip and training enhancements.

Dartmouth and Bates Weekend Wrapup

Senior Captains Alec Parower (left) and Will Oberrender

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team split up and hit the road this past weekend, competing in flighted events at both Dartmouth and Bates. Both events gave the Panthers a chance to compete against some great tennis programs in the New England area.

Middlebury sent seven players to New Hampshire for the annual Dartmouth Shootout. Other schools competing in the tournament were Williams, Stony Brook, and Army. All seven players for Midd notched at least one victory over the three day event. Highlighting the weekend’s action was the doubles play of Senior Spencer Lunghino and Junior Alex Johnston. The pair took home the “A” flight title, picking up wins against two of Dartmouth’s top doubles teams after a first round bye. For a complete look at the weekend’s results from Dartmouth, visit http://www.dartmouthsports.com//pdf8/952740.pdf.

With a few players abroad this semester, Middlebury had only four players to send to the Wallach Invitational at Bates College in Maine. The skeleton crew performed admirably. The sophomore duo of Peter Heidrich and Chris Frost advanced to the semifinals of the “A” doubles flight. The pair knocked off the number two doubles team from Bates before defeating the number two team from Bowdoin in the quarterfinals. Freshman Allen Jackson also made a deep run in the “B” singles flight. Jackson notched two impressive wins before falling to a tough player from Bowdoin in the semifinals. Freshman Jack Welch also got in on the fun, picking up a first round win before falling in the second round in the “D” flight. To check out all of the results from Bates, visit http://abacus.bates.edu/sports/mten/13/wallach12-onepage.pdf.

Fall ITA Tournament Results

Junior Alex Johnston lining up a backahnd

The men’s tennis team turned in several impressive results at the ITA Regional hosted by Williams over the weekend. Freshman Palmer Campbell advanced to the semifinals round of the 64-man tournament, before falling to Andrew Yaraghi of Amherst  6-3, 6-2. Campbell won four straight-set matches at the event, including a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win over Brandon Roode of Nichols in the quarterfinals.

Junior Alex Johnston also turned in a solid performance, advancing to the quarterfinal round with three wins before falling to Yaraghi, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-1. Senior Alec Parower picked up a pair of straight-set wins before falling in the round of 16 to semifinalist and top seed Mark Kahan of Amherst, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-1.

In doubles play, Johnston and senior Spencer Lunghino earned a pair of 8-2 wins before falling to finalists Rob Crampton and Matt Bettles of Bates, 8-6 in the quarterfinals.

Across the board, the Middlebury Men showed marked improvement in their volley technique and doubles play. A focus point of practice in the first few weeks of fall practice, it seems as though the Panthers net game is definitely moving in the right direction. The on court training will continue to focus on doubles and net play while also looking at other aspects that will allow us to move towards our goal of being a championship team.

We would like to sincerely thank the Midd parents who came to Williams to support the Panthers. One of the many highlights of the weekend was seeing how well the team traveled together. Support from the teammates and parents during all of the matches this weekend was truly incredible.

Going forward, the team will split up this weekend for events at both Dartmouth and Bates. Both groups will compete in a singles and doubles flighted event. Please follow us on twitter and facebook for live updates this weekend and thanks again for all of your support.

Midd Invite Wrapup

Junior Alex Johnston serving and
Freshman Palmer Campbell at the
2012 Middlebury Invitational.

The Middlebury Invitational Tournament came to an end Sunday afternoon after a successful weekend consisting of four flights of singles and two flights of doubles. Several area schools competed in the tournament including Bates, Tufts, Trinity, Skidmore, Brandeis, Vassar along with Middlebury. For the freshmen on the Midd squad, this was their first taste of competitive college tennis. After a little more than a week of training with and against their own teammates, the Midd Invite offered an excellent opportunity to compete against some interconference and regional opponents.

Competing in the A Flight Singles draw were some of the newest Panthers. Freshman Jackson Frons and Junior transfer Alex Johnston both impressed in their Middlebury debuts. Frons knocked out Skidmore number one Oliver Loutsenko in straight sets before falling to eventual finalist Matt Bettles of Bates. Alex Johnston reached the semifinals in impressive fashion, winning his quarterfinal match 6-0, 6-0. Johnston then lost a well fought match against returning All American Rob Crampton of Bates in a third set matchbreaker.

The B Flight singles draw also featured one of the newest Panthers. Freshman Palmer Campbell lost a heartbreaking match 21-19 in the third set matchbreaker, falling short after having ten match points. Despite the loss, Palmer showed tremendous toughness and competed wonderfully throughout the match. Also featured in the B Flight were some returning members of the Middlebury team. Sophomore Peter Heidrich showed some newfound firepower in his game, using his forehand as a weapon time and again before coming up just short in his quarterfinal match. Fellow sophomore Courtney Mountifield showed tremendous heart and a rock steady game in a quarterfinal win over Pierre Planche, a fine player from Bates. Mountifield came up just short in his semfinal match against an up and coming player from Trinity.

Middlebury’s roster depth was on full display in the C Flight Singles draw. Two new members of the team and one senior leader advanced all the way to the semifinals, making up three fourths of the semifinalists in the draw. Freshmen Ari Smolyar and Allen Jackson cruised through their early round matches en route to the semifinals. Once there, Jackson sneaked past Middlebury senior captain Will Oberrender setting up an All-Midd finals between Smolyar and Jackson. Both freshmen competed fiercely and in the end, Smolyer won a third set matchbreaker to clinch the C Flight title. Also noteworthy was the play of Oberrender leading up to the semifinals. A returning doubles specialist from last year, Oberrender found a new level of play in singles game this tournament, utilizing the serve and volley along with his attacking style of play.

The doubles draws consisted of an A and a B flight. Several Panther teams competed and earned some wins. One of the more memorable highlights of the weekend was the play of doubles teammates Alec Parower and freshman Jack Welch. Called into action days before the tournament, Welch was originally scheduled to only compete in singles draw. The unlikely pair teamed up for a couple of wins together, showing the power of removing expectations from competition. Parower and Welch both leaned on some monster forehands to advance to the semifinals before falling to eventual champs Rob Crampton and Matt Bettles of Bates.

Moving forwards, the Panthers look to grow and move their doubles in a positive direction in the weeks to come. A big thank you to all the parents that came out and supported the Panthers this weekend. It is no doubt a great joy to watch this Panther Tennis Family continue to grow together.