In our program at Middlebury, we are proud of the fact that
we set ambitious goals including our ultimate aim of competing for an NCAA team
title. As our team gradually played better and better all season long, we
really became a force during the postseason. After winning the NESCAC title and
then winning our first three NCAA tournament matches including a second win
over Wesleyan in the elite eight, we had confidence that we were a dangerous
team for anyone in the country to face. Unfortunately, we came out on the short
end of a hard fought 5-3 loss to Emory in the final four. We put ourselves in position
to win the match after winning 4 of 6 first sets in singles play, but came up
just short. While never easy to digest, the coaching staff felt that we earned
the right to feel disappointed because we had worked our way toward becoming a
team that was playing well enough to make a run at winning another NCAA title.
We want to thank our players for their incredible efforts and passion, as we
felt incredibly fortunate to be able to coach this wonderful group of young
men. It was a season that our seniors should be proud of, and we look forward
to taking our momentum at the end of the season into next year!
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| Our 2019 senior captains! We will miss this incredible group, but look forward to watching how they pursue their passions post college! |
Wesleyan Elite Eight Match
Highlights
In our first match at Kalamazoo, the Panthers came out
hungry. We knew we would have to play well to come out on top in this rubber
match against Wesleyan. Even though our doubles play did not go as well as
hoped at the top two doubles positions, our super sophomores Eazor and Xiao posted
an 8-4 win at #3 doubles securing one doubles point for the Panthers. It was a cold
and windy Midwest day with difficult playing conditions, and we were down 1-2
on the overall team score heading into singles play. With little margin the
error, our team showed their grit and love for playing in the postseason. Cuba,
Farrell, and Eazor all posted impressive straight set victories against tough
opponents, putting the Panthers just one point away from securing the match.
Both Guo and Morris with battling in close matches, when Xiao clinched our
final four berth with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over an opponent he had lost to just a
couple of weeks prior. Another impressive team victory for the Panthers. Read
the match recap here.
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| Team photo before our Elite Eight match with our honorary captain Izy! |
Emory Final Four Match Highlights
Even though doubles play again appeared to be our Achilles
heel, Farrell/Vanezis put on an incredibly impressive display of tennis beating
one of the best #2 doubles teams in the country 8-3 to keep the Panthers in it.
Despite being down 1-2, the Panthers knew that we were in striking distance
given our current level of singles play. True to form, the Panthers won four out
of six first sets and set a path to victory. Leading the way for the Panthers
as they have done so many times during their careers, our top two singles
players and senior captains, Lubomir Cuba and Noah Farrell, both secured victories
for the Panthers in what turned out to be their final college matches. However,
it was not quite enough on this day. Credit to Emory for playing a great match,
and their level of play showed the very next day when they went on to win the tournament.
Their win showed how close we had come to being a championship team, something
our boys should be incredibly proud of. Full match recap is here.
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| The coaching staff helping our seniors celebrate their graduation day! |
End of Year Appreciation!
As this will be our final blog post of the year, the coaching staff wants
to extend our gratitude toward so many key individuals that help our program to
operate optimally! We want to begin by thanking our incredible Middlebury
College Athletic support staff, in particular Erin Quinn (Athletic Director),
Rachel Eldredge (Team Athletic Trainer), Dain McKee (Assistant Director of
Athletic Communication), Rachel Kahan (Women’s Tennis Head Coach), and Rob Barr
(Women’s Tennis Assistant Coach). Each of you helps to make our team better and
our job as coaches much more fun! We also want to express our thanks to all of
the Middlebury Tennis Nation. It is a true pleasure for us to receive so many
messages and support from our alumni, family, and friends.
Of course, we would be remiss if
we did not thank our VIP team parents! It is amazing to see how much love and support
you bring to our program, and we take pride in sharing all of our team’s accomplishments
with you. Thanks again for all you do to support our group!
Thanks
again for your support and for sharing in our journey this season!
Sincerely,
The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Coaching Staff
