Thursday, May 10, 2018

Panthers Reached NESCAC finals, NCAA Bracket Released (20-4)

In our first postseason tournament, NESCACs, we were able to test ourselves against some of the best competition in all of DIII tennis right here in the northeast. Even before the tournament started, it seemed likely that Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Williams would likely earn the #1-3 seeds in the NCAA bracket. We had a challenging draw being given the #3 seed, but felt we were ready to make the most of it. The coaching staff was pleased with the way we attacked each match, and even though we did not win the whole thing, we know that the experience is going to make us that much more resilient and focused heading into NCAA tournament play.

BIG MIDD!
Quarterfinal Bates Match Highlights

Given our #3 seed we started off by playing Bates on Friday. Building on our recent doubles progress, we continued our solid play winning all three doubles matches by scores of 8-5, 8-5, and 8-2 at #1-3 doubles. With big momentum heading into singles, Timo van der Geest and Will de Quant were the first players to finish their matches and put points on the board for the panthers both winning in straight sets. After clinching the match, all other singles matches were halted. It was a very focused first round performance, and the full match recap can be seen here: http://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mten/2017-18/releases/20180504qjy4hs

Our four freshmen representing Midd tennis with great
character, talent, and promising futures on and off the court!

Semifinal Williams Match Highlights

Having lost to Williams 5-4 earlier in the season, we were thrilled at an opportunity to play them again. Having been swept in doubles last time, playing the Ephs would be a good test to see how far we have progressed in the past month in our doubles play. Van der Geest and Martin lost a tough 8-5 decision, but definitely had many chances and continue to show they are one of the best #3 doubles teams in the country. At #2 doubles, Farrell and de Quant won 8-5 and played some exceptional tennis and putting on a great show for the fans as always! The most drama came at #1 doubles, where Cuba and Schalnger showed their ability to play well in the big moments, saving multiple match points and winning their proset in a tiebreaker 9-8(3). Giving us a 2-1 lead heading into singles gave us a big momentum boost!


#1 Doubles doing their thing!
The Panthers won five first sets in singles, and this put a ton of pressure on the Ephs to try to stage a huge comeback. Williams definitely continued to battle and many matches were very close, but we were able to weather the storm and close out three matches. Cuba won 6-1, 7-5 at #1 singles against one of the best players in the country. De Quant and Schlanger followed suit, also posting straight set victories over their opponents. The full match recap can be seen here: http://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mten/2017-18/releases/20180505owwo9i

Circling up and ready to build on our 2-1 lead post doubles!

Finals Bowdoin Match Highlights

Even though we lost 5-3 in a dogfight of a match, there were still many good moments for Middlebury. At #1 doubles, Schalnger and Cuba continued their winning ways getting up a couple of early breaks and finishing strong. At #3 doubles, Martin and van der Geest continue a steady rise in level and get another key win for Middlebury. Having the momentum again heading into singles, Middlebury looked to be in prime position to compete for the NESCAC title.

In singles play, the Panthers fought hard and came up just short in a series of matches including three 3-set losses at #2, #5, and #6 singles. As we know from our match against Williams, we are more than capable of flipping a loss to a win and we definitely hope we get to see Bowdoin again at NCAAs. Also of note, Cuba continued to play some beastly tennis at the top spot in our ladder posting another straight set victory against a big-serving opponent.

See full match recap here: http://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mten/2017-18/releases/20180506t3cj2x

NCAA Tournament

The sting of a disappointing NESCAC final loss, will only serve to fuel or insatiable hunger of reaching the top of the mountain at NCAAs. The Panthers received the #2 overall seed in the NCAA bracket and we now have a total of 5 possible matches in front of us on our path toward competing for an NCAA title.

Link to NCAA bracket that will update with match scores:
https://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/tennis-men/d3
Our full potential postseason schedule is listed below. We will need to be victorious in five straight matches to achieve our aim of winning the national title. 

Live scoring for the regional rounds of the tournament can be found at this link: http://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mten/2017-18/releases/20180509hoi2cg

Date                Time               Opponent                               Location

5/12                 3pm                 NCAA Round of 32               Middlebury, VT

5/13                 12pm               NCAA Round of 16               Middlebury, VT

5/21-5/23         TBD                NCAA Final Rounds              Claremont, CA

5/24-5/26         TBD                NCAA Individuals                  Claremont, CA

It’s time! Go Midd!


The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Coach Staff

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