<ta for Spring Term, the Carleton men’s tennis team has faced some of the best competition the Midwest has to offer. After splitting a pair of matches against tough Iowa opponents, the Knights (11-4, 4-1 MIAC) fell to MIAC rival Gustavus on Saturday.
In the annual regular-season meeting of the top two men’s tennis programs in the MIAC, the Knights lost 8-1 to the Gusties. The contest was scheduled to be played on the Carleton campus, but a spring thunderstorm forced the teams to re-locate to the Owatonna Tennis Center. Alex Chin ’13 was the only victorious Knight at the new venue.
“We knew this was going to be an excellent match against one of the best teams in the region,” said Carleton Head Coach Stephan Zweifel. “Although the final score was a bit lopsided, it does not take away from the incredible caliber of tennis that was on display today.”
Both squads are regionally ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, with the sixth-ranked Gusties also tying for the last spot in the national rankings.
The first doubles competition was a dandy as Gustavus’ ranked tandem prevailed 9-8 over Carleton’s ranked paring of Dan Vollman ’12 and Paul Cooper ‘13.
Vollman forced his match at second singles into a third set, eventually falling 7-6, 6-2, and 10-4.
Chin notched his second collegiate victory over Gustavus, having previously secured the necessary fifth team point in the Knights’ victory over the Gusties in the 2010 MIAC Playoff Finals.
“Like a pad of butter on a warm Cinnabon, watching Alex slap his groundstrokes is a decadent treat,” said Zweifel.
The setback came a week after the Knights traveled to Iowa over first weekend for a pair of hard-fought matches.
On Sunday, the Knights came out on the short end of a 6-3 result against regionally-ranked Grinnell College. Cooper prevailed in three sets for his ninth consecutive singles victory.
Peter Dunn ‘12 and Jon Aranda ’12 tallied Carleton’s first point with an 8-5 win at second doubles. In singles, Cooper and Chin were the lone Knights to prevail.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the team used its depth to rally for the victory, this one a 5-4 triumph at Coe College in another matchup of regionally-ranked squads. Aranda came back from down 4-1 in the third set to secure a 2-6, 6-3 and 7-5 triumph and earn the decisive fifth team point.
The Knights are back in action tomorrow, hosting another regionally-ranked foe, Luther College, on the new Bell Field courts.
Courtesy of Sports Information.