Midd Takes Down Skidmore 8-1

Following a minor shakeup in the singles lineup and a major reshuffling of the doubles lineup, the Middlebury Men’s Tennis team defeated Skidmore 8-1 Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers return to action today against M.I.T. at 3:30 p.m.

Doubles play was highlighted by the outstanding performance of the new number three doubles team of Andrew Lebovitz and Alec Parower. The pair cruised to an 8-3 win utilizing Parower’s steady play from the baseline and Lebovitz’s big game at net. Junior Spencer Lunghino teamed up with Brantner Jones at number one doubles for an 8-5 win. Using a break of serve up 6-5, Midd cruisied onto victory taking advantage of Lunghino’s massive serves.

In singles, freshman Peter Heidrich took advantage of his first opportunity playing in the top six this season with a come from behind three set victory at number six singles.  Senior Derrick Angle continued his torrid run at three singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Visit http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/menstennis/archive/2011-2012/news/node/359585 for more results.

A quick technical update for all of our fans, we have started a twitter account under the handle @middtennis. The account will be used for a number of updates regarding the team, including live match updates. We also have linked the twitter account with our blog homepage.http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/menstennis/archive/2011-2012/news/node/359585

Williams/Bowdoin Weekend Wrapup

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis team finished a tough weekend of NESCAC action Saturday evening. After dropping a dual match against Williams 7-2 Friday, the Panthers lost a heartbreaker to Bowdoin 5-4.

Against Bowdoin, Midd dropped all three doubles matches digging an early 3-0 deficit before charging back in singles. The comeback attempt came up just short as the Panthers took four of six singles matches, including wins at number one, two, and three singles. For complete results to both of this weekend’s matches, visit http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/menstennis.

Despite this weekend’s results, coaches and players alike are extremely excited about the outlook for the rest of this season. After falling behind 3-0 to Bowdoin, each member of the Panther squad remained positive and showed great resolve in competing extremely well in singles. That type of resolve will no doubt serve the Panthers moving forward.

Their have also been a couple of scheduling changes for the Panthers. The match against MIT, originally scheduled for this Friday, has been moved to next Wednesday the 25^th at 3:45 pm. Middlebury versus Amhurst has also been changed from this Saturday to next Saturday the 28th at 11 am.

Williams/Bowdoin Weekend Preview

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team is busy preparing for a big weekend of NESCAC action featuring some of the top ranked teams in division three. The weekend kicks off Friday afternoon at 4 pm at the Williams College outdoor tennis courts. Following the matchup between Midd and Williams, the Panthers will return home Friday night before facing off against the Bowdoin Polar Bears Saturday afternoon at 2 pm.

Following Saturday's match with Bowdoin, the men's and women's team will be having a team banquet at American Flatbread, located in the Marble Works district of Middlebury. Price per person is $30 and includes salad, pizza, and refreshments. For questions regarding the banquet, please email Coach Bob Hansen at rwhansen@middlebury.edu.

Midd Knocks off Conn College and Stevens Tech

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team swept conference opponent Conn College 9-0 yesterday afternoon in New London, Connecticut. The victory moved the Panthers to 8-2 on the year, as they remained undefeated in conference play.

Battling a swirling wind, the Panthers swept all three doubles lines to get the match headed in the right direction. The number one team of Brantner Jones and Andrew Lebovitz overcame a 6-4 deficit en route to a 9-7 victory. Doubles play was highlighted by the play of senior David Farah and junior Spencer Lunghino. The pair showed no trouble taking care of business after being moved up to number two doubles earlier in the week. The two played an aggressive, efficient brand of doubles cruising to an 8-3 victory. Filling in for the injured Derrick Angle, sophomore Zach Bruchmiller teamed up with Alec Parower for an 8-4 win at three doubles to complete the sweep.

The Panthers kept things rolling once singles play got under way. With Brantner Jones being moved up to number one singles, Middlebury dominated the Camels of Conn College throughout the singles lineup. Visit the Middlebury Athletics website for complete details as well as a recap of today’s 7-2 win over Stevens Institute of Technology.

Spring Break Wrapup and Easter Weekend Preview

The Middlebury Men’s Tennis Team recently returned from California, where they enjoyed a very successful spring break trip. The Panthers finished the trip with a 4-2 record, including a win over the nationally ranked Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.  The trip also included many practice/exhibition matches for the entire team and many of our second team members had outstanding records for the week.   Courtney Mountifield went undefeated for the week and Eric Vehovic, Will Oberrender, Chris Frost, Peter Heidrich, and Niko Riefkohl all had only one loss. 

The division three tennis world took notice of the solid Panther play over the spring break trip, with sophomore Brantner Jones being named Northeast regional player of the week due in large part to his three set win at number three singles that clinched a 5-4 victory over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

After dropping their first match of the trip to NAIA opponent Vanguard, Middlebury reeled off four straight wins against some tough NAIA opponents and the aforementioned Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. The last match of the break was against the CMS Stags, who started the season ranked in the top five in all of division three. The Panthers found themselves trailing 2-1 after doubles play, with the lone victory coming at number three doubles. Senior David Farah and junior Spencer Lunghino got an early break against the Stags and never looked back, securing the win for the Panthers at three doubles.

In singles play, Brantner Jones continued his torrid run at three singles, knocking off Alex Johnson of CMS in dominating fashion.  Following Jones’s big win, senior Derrick Angle would go on to lose a tough three set match against Robbie Erani. The two players have battled against each other since early on in the junior ranks, and this match was yet another close one for the pair. Unfortunately, Angle’s loss would be a sign of things to come for the Panthers. Following a great win at number four singles by Spencer Lunghino, the Panthers trailed 4-3 and needed wins at both five and six singles to earn a team victory. Sophomores Teddy Fitzgibbons and Zach Bruchmiller came up on the short end of two closely contested three set matches, giving CMS a 6-3 win over Midd.  These losses were Zach and Teddy’s only losses of the week.

Despite falling short against CMS, the Panthers can take away several positives from the match. Leading 4-1 early on at number one doubles, sophomore duo Brantner Jones and Andrew Lebovitz looked poised to put another point on the board for Midd before seeing things slip away. Losing three matches in third sets also shows how close the Panthers are to one of the most talented teams in division three.  All in all it was an outstanding week where we enjoyed our training and matches, learned a great deal about our work going forward, and enjoyed our time together. 

Looking forward, the Middlebury Men travel to Connecticut this weekend to battle against Conn College Friday at 3:00 and then head off to Hoboken, New Jersey where they will take on Steven Instiute of Technology Saturday at 10:30am.  

Thanks again to all our fans and supporters for making this trip possible.  A special thank you to Laura Fitzgibbons for taking some wonderful pictures during the trip, some of which will be featured on the blog and possibly the Middlbury website as well. The coaching staff could not be happier with this team and we appreciate all your help in helping us reach our goal of being one of the top teams in the country!