The Carleton College men’s tennis team just keeps on winning. The Knights overcame an early doubles deficit to post the 5-4 triumph over University of St. Thomas. The Tommies earned their four points atop the lineup—with wins at the first two spots in both the doubles and singles flights—but the Knights’ depth was the difference on this evening.

“The matches between Carleton and St. Thomas have always been well-fought contests,” said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel, “and today was no exception. The experience should serve us well as the season progresses.”

The win raises Carleton’s record to a MIAC-best 8-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference action. “This team is as unstoppable as Kayne West at an awards show.”

St. Thomas grabbed a 2-1 lead after doubles by posting identical 8-5 wins at the first and second slots. Mauricio Gonzalez (Sr./La Paz, Bo- livia/American Cooperative School) and Kevin Hurley (Fy./Novi, Mich./ Univ. of Detroit Jesuit) notched Carleton’s first team point with their 8-2 triumph at third doubles.

Upon moving to singles play, the Knights started to close the gap. Patton McClelland (So./Rock Hill, S.C./ Charlotte Latin School) prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at fifth singles, and Ezra Frankel (So./Lincoln, Mass./Belmont Hill School) added a 6-2, 6-1 result at the sixth slot.

“Patton has the mental endurance to compete with anybody,” Zweifel said. “In fact, he is one of the few people on the planet who has the patience to actually put a Pop-Tart in the toaster before eating it.”

St. Thomas’ Brady Radermacher picked up a straight sets win at first singles, a result offset by Andrew Hwang (Sr./Brookfield, Wis./University School) posting a 6-3, 6-2 victory for Carleton at the third slot. Gonzalez would clinch the match for Carleton with his 6-2, 6-4 triumph at fourth singles.

With the team result already determined, all attention was focused on the second singles match between Kevin Mei (Fy./Ann Arbor, Mich./ Huron) and St. Thomas’ Luke Elifson. The duo became ensnared in an epic battle that the Tommies eventually claimed by a 3-6, 7-5, 14-12 tally. That match finished nearly an hour after the other singles matches had concluded.

Carleton will host Bethel University on Friday, March 6 for a 6:30 p.m. match at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville, Minn. This will be the final meet of the term for the Knights.