Panthers Off to A Solid Start Winning 4 of First 5 Matches

The Panthers absolutely loved being able to test ourselves against some great competition over the past two weekends. Nothing quite compares to being able to dig in and compete alongside your teammates in competitive college tennis dual matches! We also learned a lot about where we are and what we need to work on to keep rising through the year.

Panthers love batting together!

Trinity CT Highlights (Panthers won 9-0)

In this match, we came out firing from top to bottom. Our #1 doubles pair of Aidan Harris/Noah Laber earned a particularly impressive 8-1 win against strong serving opponents. At # 2 singles, Aidan did not drop a single game in his singles match. Our three freshmen also hit the ground running with Julian Wu, Nathan Jackson, and Hugh Hentschel all earning convincing victories at #5 singles, #6 singles, and #7 singles (we like to call this slot exhibition #1 or X1) respectively! See the full match results by clicking here.

Freshman Hugh Hentschel lining up a backhand

St. Michael’s Highlights (Panthers won 8-1)

Earning our second singles sweep on the same day, the Panthers continued to show that we entered the season fully ready to rumble. Our squad punctuated this match with excellent singles play from top to bottom, with all 11 of our Panthers seeing time in the lineup in either the morning or evening match. At #6 singles, Andrew Mueller put on a crowd-pleasing performance earning a victory despite having to serve underhand for a large portion of the match! What a boss! Our only loss of the day came in a super-tiebreaker, but still had Max Kim demonstrating an impressive comeback in the second set in front of an active crowd at the end of the match. See the full match results by clicking here.

Skidmore Highlights (Panthers won 8-1)

In our first away match coming immediately after a double header, the Panthers put on an impressive performance winning 8 of 9 matches versus an opponent ranked #30 in the latest ITA national poll. The Panthers went up 2-1 after doubles behind dominant performances by Neel Epstein/Robby Ward at #2 doubles and Julian Wu/Zihao Yuan at #3 doubles. In singles play, Julian Wu did not drop a single game winning 6-0, 6-0 at # 5 singles. Both Noah Laber and Robby Ward earned hard fought three-set victories, which was fun to see them battle from start to finishing and played some of their best stuff in the key moments! See the full match results by clicking here.

Senior captain Andrew Mueller in coach mode helping Robby Ward/Neel Epstein on court! 

Tufts Highlights (Panthers lost 3-6)

In a clash of opponents who finished last year ranked #3 and #4 in the ITA National Rankings, we knew it was going to be a great opportunity to see where our team was at. Playing on the road on their court surface, we knew we would need to compete well and to adapt throughout the match. Tufts played well immediately out of the game and got a lead across all three doubles courts. We dug in but were not able to shift the momentum quickly enough resulting in a 0-3 score line heading into singles play. Knowing it’s not how we start the match that is most important, the Panthers put on an incredibly impressive singles performance with our backs against the wall and gave ourselves a chance at making a full comeback. Julian Wu got thing rolling posting another dominant win at #5 singles. At #1 and #2 singles we earned three-set victories by Noah Laber and Aidan Harris (in a 3rd set super tiebreaker). Neel Epstein also positioning himself well at #3 singles losing a nail biter of a three set match and showed how well he can play for stretches. Zihao Yuan lost his match in a third set super tiebreaker and as always sets the example for our team of consistent effort and focus even though the result did not break his way. While winning is always more fun, we look forward to using this match as a spark to shore up a few areas we need to improve so that we can be ready for next time against top competition. See the full match results by clicking here.

Noah Laber getting ready to spike a volley with Aidan Harris ready to pounce if needed!

Bates Highlights (Panthers won 7-2)

Showing our fortitude, the Panthers bounced back immediately after a tough loss the previous day with an impressive 7-2 showing versus a tricky Bates teams on their indoor courts. In doubles play, we earned solid wins at #1 doubles (Aidan Harris/Noah Laber) and #2 doubles (Neel Epstein/Robby Ward) both coming from down a break before securing the win. In singles play, the bookends of our lineup got things rolling out of the game with Noah Laber (#1 singles) and Zihao Yuan (#6 singles) posting straight set victories. Demonstrating some impressive comebacks within a set, both Neel Epstein (#3 singles) and Julian Wu (#5 singles) showed that we are never out of the fight and each secured hard fought victories at their positions. Aidan Harris lost a well-contested three set match at #2 singles, while Robby Ward finished the day with a super-tiebreaker three set win with the whole team cheering him on! Also, shout out to Hugh Hentschel and Joe Mairs for sweeping the X1 doubles and X1 and X2 singles positions. The Panthers love every opportunity to play and great to get bonus matches in! See the full match results by clicking here.

Neel Esptein ready to pummel a backhand!

Upcoming Spring Break Schedule

Go Midd!

- Middlebury Tennis Coaching Staff