NESCAC 2023 Champs! NCAAs Up Next

The coaches are thrilled to be able to report that the Panthers enjoyed a sweet NESCAC tournament title run! It marks the third year in a row our Panther program has won the NESCAC conference tournament! Thank you to so many friends and family members of Middlebury Tennis who have done so much to support our journey this year. Moreover, it was a true pleasure to feel the satisfaction in seeing the joy of our players throughout the event as they earned hard fought victories that were well deserved based on their incredible dedication, hard work, and embracing of our team culture and path. More than wins and losses, the fun of striving together toward common goals and digging deeply into how we can improve ourselves as a team keeps us on our journey this year heading into NCAA tournament play. Here is a quick recap of NESCACs, along with a few fun photos!

Celebrating Victory!

Colby College (Midd won 5-0)

We hosted Colby at home on the Proctor courts and we came out swinging! Colby is a rising team in our conference, and we played some nice stretches of strong tennis to sweep the doubles matches and apply a lot of pressure heading into singles play. Needing two more points, the Panthers went to work on all six courts. The first players to reach the finish line were Noah Laber (#1 singles) and Zihao Yuan (# 6 singles) to secure the match and earn us the opportunity to travel to Williams for the next two rounds of the tournament. Click here to see the full box score. 

Amped UP!

Tufts University (Midd won 5-2)

Tufts was riding a 20-match win streak heading into our semifinal matchup, but we took confidence in that we had been improving and sharpening our skills since our last matchup earlier in the season. We knew that doubles play would be key to set the tone. Taking out the top-ranked doubles pair in the region, Harris/Laber (#1 doubles) put on an impressive display earning a 8-3 victory and giving us an early 1-0 lead. The next two doubles positions both came down to the wire, with Tufts earning a tiebreak victory at #2 doubles and our Midd # 3 doubles (Wu/Mairs) earning a key win to give the Panthers the 2-1 edge heading into singles play. We used that momentum and got after it in our singles play! Again demonstrating our depth at all parts of the lineup, the next two wins for the Panthers came at #1 singles (Laber) and #6 singles (Yuan) both winning decisive straight set matches. Next up to push the Panthers across the finish line was captain Robby Ward (#5 singles) who earned a 3-set victory for the clinch! A great battle and strong way to finish to earn a spot in the finals! Click here to see the full box score. 

Joe Mairs/Julian Wu take the point at #3 doubles vs Tufts

Bowdoin College (Midd won 5-4)

Getting another chance to avenge a previous loss, we found ourselves behind early at all three doubles spots. Each guy dug deep and we fought back hard, with #1 doubles (Harris/Laber) finding a way to win an 8-7(5) tiebreak win secured by a special FH return winner to keep us in the fight! Using that momentum, we knew we would come out hungry on the singles court being down 1-2 after doubles play. Sure enough, four Panthers found their way to victory by battling and playing some of their best stretches of tennis at the biggest moments. Harris (#2 singles) earned a gritty straight set win. Next to win was Yuan (#6 singles) who bested his opponent across three grueling sets. Ward (#5 singles) then pushed the Panthers to one-point away from the title with a particularly impressive decisive victory. It all came down to the #1 singles position, where Noah Laber (#1 singles) put on a spectacular performance of high-level tennis to earn a 7-5, 6-4 win! His teammates stormed the court to celebrate and it was a thing of beauty to see joy and excitement our team felt to have earned such a special achievement together! Of course, the best part always being that it positions us even better for our next stop in our journey, the NCAA tournament! Click here to see the final box score. 

NCAA Tournament Play and Possible Schedule

After our NESCAC run, we look forward to our next opportunity to test ourselves and to face more challenges ahead. We continue to reflect on how we can keep growing as a team, keep learning, and to do all the necessary steps and work to position ourselves to make a run! We cannot wait!

Upcoming Match Schedule (check our schedule/results page for match times)

Picture of our NCAA Regional Rounds Draw

May 5: NCAA First Round Bye

May 6: NCAA Second Round vs winner of Christopher Newport/Allegheny (Baltimore, MD)

May 7: NCAA Third Round (Baltimore, MD)

If we win our NCAA Regional matches, we will move on to play the NCAA Final Rounds (May 13-16th) in Lake Nona, FL.

 

Go Midd!

- Middlebury Tennis Coaching Staff