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.
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| 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
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| 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!
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| #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
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| 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.
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| 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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