Panthers (9-2): Battle Tested After Spring Break Heading Into NESCAC Play

We are now just on the other side of our spring break and heading into more NESCAC play starting this weekend! Before we outline our schedule ahead, we want to take a stab at summarizing our six matches in seven days during our stint in SoCal. It was a whirlwind of challenge and fun, and our group continues to rise and demonstrate our potential to be a fierce and dangerous squad as we move through our journey this year. We won four out of our six matches last week, and even more importantly grew our collective resilience and confidence for what lies ahead! The coaches have been continually impressed by our group’s doubles play (we have gained a lead after doubles in every DIII matchup so far this year) and our collective ability to enjoy challenging competitive moments. Beyond the courts, we enjoyed living in SoCal for the week getting a chance to spend some time at the beach, eat a lot of tacos, and most importantly solidified the bonds that bind our group that only get fully cemented when traveling together.

Always a good day to BE GREAT!

All smiles!

More smiles!

Alumni Weekend

We want to highlight and remind our alumni that our alumni weekend matches will take place on April 27-28. We cannot wait to see many of you there!

University of Redlands (Midd won 8-1)

We wasted no time diving into a competitive matchup playing the very next day after we arrived in CA against an opponent that is historically challenging to face on the road. After kicking things off with a 2-1 doubles lead, highlighted by #2 doubles (Harris/Laber) posting a quick 8-1 proset to get things rolling, we then proceeded to sweep all six singles matches winning four in straight sets and two in third sets. See full box score here.

Aidan Harris and Noah Laber!

Chapman University (Midd won 7-2) and Hope International University (Midd won 9-0)

The very next day we took on both Chapman and Hope International on the same day. It was an excellent day for the Panthers where nearly everyone on our roster earned a win during the day whether in the matches or additional exhibition matches. A day like this highlighted our team depth throughout and our hunger to take advantage of all opportunities to compete and learn.

Box scores can be seen here and here respectively. 

Julian Wu and Joe Mairs!

Robby Ward!

Azusa Pacific University (Midd lost 4-1)

Playing a perennial DII powerhouse, Azusa Pacific, we knew we were in for a fun battle. We played all DI rules and the doubles was an intense fight. Our group’s doubles charge was again led by #2 doubles (Harris/Laber) who posted a 6-3 win. Unfortunately, APU took the other two doubles flights but we definitely had our noses in there. In singles play, we fought until the nd but came up just short. Panther highlights included #4 singles (Aidan Harris) who posted a straight set win as well as #2 singles (Julian Wu) and #5 singles (Neel Epstein) who both had commanding leads before play was stopped as the match was clinched. Box score can be seen here.

Neel Epstein balling!

Julian Wu balling!

Pomona-Pitzer (Midd won 8-1)

After a couple of days without scheduled matches, we continued to bring our best on the courts kicking off this match with a doubles sweep! Winning at #1-3 doubles, we put pressure on PP immediately heading into singles play perhaps highlighted by a decisive 8-2 win at #1 doubles (Ward/Epstein). The group never slowed down even for a minute. Winning four matches in straight sets and one in three, the Panthers displayed that our ability to hit from all aspects of the lineup to put points on the board!  See the full box score here.

Neel Epstein and Robby Ward!

CMS (Midd lost 4-3)

Heading into a tough place to play against another top nationally ranked opponent, we could not wait to see how we would stack up against the competition. The match did not disappoint.  We played DI scoring format in this matchup because of the ability to do so if both teams agree well in advance, in preparation to get used to this type of format for future years (it seems to be on its way to DIII tennis soon). The Panthers kicked things off in style by winning all three doubles sets, including a nice come from behind effort at #3 doubles (Wu/Lewis). Heading into singles play with a 1-0 lead, we knew we had to keep going. We took our momentum from doubles and won 4 first sets, but CMS dug their heels in and we had a fight on our hands throughout. The Panthers singles play was highlighted by wins at #5 singles (Epstein) and a three-set winning effort at #2 singles (Wu). Unfortunately, CMS turned around two matches in three set battles to provide them with a narrow 4-3 win. Although the taste of a loss can be bitter, our group remains poised and on the path. We know that neither wins nor losses will define us, but rather our ability to move forward continuing to grow, improve, and prepare for what lies ahead. There is simply no joy better than competing together, and we cannot wait for more dual match battles ahead soon! Check out the box score here.

Nikky Kondamuri and Nathan Jackson!

Thehan Wijemanne!

Upcoming Schedule (NOTE: ALUMNI WEEKEND IS APRIL 27-28)

Next up on our journey is our NESCAC conference play where we will continue to face many of the top DIII teams in the nation. Let’s go!!! Check it out below.

Go Midd!

- Middlebury Tennis Coaching Staff

Panthers (5-0) Get Out to a Strong Start

It has been an exciting start to the year with our group racking up five straight wins! Our triumphs included wins over a D-II opponent and three wins over nationally ranked teams including Bates (#39), Brandeis (#20), and Tufts (#5). Our team has highlighted our impressive depth throughout our roster with 100% of our players earning a win across these matches, and a fantastic blend of veteran and underclassmen performances. We know we have played some solid tennis, but that with continued hard work and refinement we can push ourselves to play even better than our current clip. The coaches have been continually impressed by this group’s dedication, and their hunger to continue to get better will certainly serve us well as we prepare for many more exciting and fun challenges ahead (see our spring break schedule below)!

Hugh Hentschel serving up some early season wins with his teammates!

Brandeis University (Midd wins 7-2)

Kicking off our season with a strong opponent, the doubles was intensely contested in this one. Paced by a strong win at #3 doubles (Wu/Lewis) and then a gutsy comeback win at #1 doubles (Epstein/Ward), the Panthers came away with a 2-1 lead headed into singles play. Our squad began to settle in to the dual match environment, and hit hard from all positions earning 5 of 6 singles wins, with the only dropped match being a hard fought 3-set battle. See the full box score here.

Noah Lewis and Nathan Jackson came ready to rumble!

Skidmore College (Midd wins 9-0)

Showing off both our depth and hunger in the second-half of our opening day double-header, the Panthers were amped up to compete. A special note about this match beyond solid play from top to bottom, is that all three of our Freshmen Panthers earned decisive straight set wins, marking the first dual match victories in singles play for each of them simultaneously! See the full box score here.

Saint Michael’s College (Midd wins 9-0)

During another double-header day, the Panthers came out swinging versus our first DII opponent this year. We came out charging in doubles play and never looked back in this one. Across many great highlights, senior standouts Maximus Kim and Andrew Mueller finished off this match in style with impressive straight set victories to secure the match. See the full box score here.

Bates College (Midd wins 9-0)

In our second match of the day, the Panthers simply showed no let up in this one. We took the momentum from the jump, with impressive doubles wins at #1-3 doubles (8-5, 8-5, and 8-3) by Epstein/Ward, Laber/Harris, and Hentschel/Mairs respectively. This is no easy task against a solid Bates team that always comes to play and always has strong doubles. From there, the Panthers took all six singles matches in straight set style, playing to our own high standards across the board. See the full box score here.

Noah Laber and Aidan Harris throwback photo!

Tufts (Midd wins 6-3)

Anytime we take on a top-5 nationally ranked opponent, we know we need to be prepared for a good battle. The match was an exciting one from start to finish, and we had to hit hard across all 9 positions before Tufts finally relinquished the match. In doubles play, we came out strong earning excellent wins at #2 doubles (Laber/Harris) and #3 doubles (Mairs/Hentschel) to get out to a 2-0 lead. Putting the pressure on, our #1 doubles pair (Epstein/Ward) nearly gave us the doubles sweep but fell just short in a tiebreaker. We love that we competed well and put ourselves in great positions across the board in doubles and in singles too. In singles play, we earned 3 impressive and decisive straight set wins at #2 singles (Wu), #3 singles (Ward), and #5 singles (Epstein). Our only two singles losses came in three-set battles, but our 5th clinching point was earned via a third set tiebreaker where #6 singles (Hentschel) posted an awesome 7-0 tiebreak win to secure the victory for the Panthers! See the full box score here.

Julian Wu (Juju) calm and collected per usual!

Neel Epstein bringing the focus!

Spring Break

Next up on our journey is our spring break trip to SoCal, which is always a highlight both on the courts and off. As we transition to more outdoor matches and play a slate of challenging opponents throughout the week, it will be a great test and way to push our games to grow to new heights. Beyond the matches, traveling together and sharing the bonds that often become fully forged on the road will continue to build our already strong comradery. Check out our Spring Break Schedule below and as always you can check out our schedule/results page to check out our live scoring and live streaming.

Go Midd!

Cheers,

The Middlebury Tennis Coaching Staff