Panthers Head In To Spring Break After a 4-0 Start!

Incredibly fun to have started the year, and even more pleased that we were able to secure four out of four dual match wins so over the past two weekends before we get ready to travel to SoCal for spring break in a couple of days! Our triumphs included wins over a D-II opponent and three wins over nationally ranked teams including Hamilton (#34), RPI (#21), and Amherst (#13). Our team has highlighted our depth, ability to strike from any position, and the camaraderie that has always been a crucial factor in our teams success across the decades. One of the most fun parts of our start, is that we have gathered invaluable feedback about what is going well and what skills we need to hone and sharpen as we move forward into spring break with lots of exciting matches ahead! Here’s a review of our start, followed by our upcoming schedule.

The squad fired up!

RPI (Midd wins 5-2)

Kicking off our season with a strong opponent, the doubles was intensely contested in this one. Paced by a strong wins at #3 doubles (Larsen/Wu) and #2 doubles (Hentschel/Wijemanne), the Panthers came away with the doubles point heading into singles play. As we began to battle on the singles courts, we earned 4 of 6 hard fought singles wins, highlighted by straight set victories at #2 (Laber), #4 (Lewis), and #5 (Hentschel) singles slots. See the full box score here.

Wu/Lewis looking focused!

Saint Michael’s College (Midd wins 7-0)

During our double-header day kickoff, the Panthers came out swinging versus our DII opponent, without having much down time between matches. We came out charging in doubles play and never looked back in this one. Across many great highlights, our two freshman shined as both secured straight set victories at #4 singles (Larsen) and #6 singles (Huet). See the full box score here.

Wijemanne dialed in at the net!

Hamilton College (Midd wins 7-0)

In our first NESCAC battle, the Panthers came out fired up and never looked back. We took the momentum from the doubles, where we battled to a fun-filled tiebreak victory at #2 doubles (Wijemanne/Hentschel) to earn ourselves the doubles point with both sides watching and cheering. From there, the Panthers took all six singles matches in straight set style, playing to our own high standards across the board. Two specific highlights were at #1 singles (Wu) earning a solid straight set win and #6 singles (Kondamuri) also battling his way to a straight set win. See the full box score here.

Hentschel/Wijemanne return ready!

Amherst (Midd wins 5-2)

Anytime we take on a talented opponent such as Amherst, we know we need to be prepared for a good battle. The match was an exciting one, and this day it would be our singles that captured the momentum and took us to victory. After losing the doubles point, we earned a nice come-from behind victory at #1 doubles (Laber/Epstein) that gave our squad some nice confident before heading out to singles after losing the doubles point. Across #1 (Wu), #2 (Laber), #4 (Lewis), and #6 (Wijemanne) singles, the first wave on our four courts, we won all four first sets and really turned the tide of the match. Amherst did not stop fighting, but we kept pushing to the finishing line. After his teammates in the first wave of matches got us out to a 3-1 match lead with many stand out performances, it was #1 singles (Wu) who secured the clinching point winning a decisive 6-1 third set! The full box score can be seen here.

Classic Lewis fist pump, let's go!

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 make this year’s journey a unique and special one. Check out our Spring Break Schedule and live scoring and live streaming on our schedule/results page here.

Go Midd!