< surprisingly close match, the Carleton College men’s tennis team prevailed, 5-4, at Concordia College and captured their 21st victory of the season to equal the Knights’ team record. Christian Purnell (So./Portland, Ore./The Academy) came up big for Carleton, claiming wins in both singles and doubles.
The is the fourth time that the men’s team has reached 21 victories in a season (also 2006, 2008, and 2012), and the first time Carleton achieved the feat in the regular season. The other three times, the 21st win came during the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs.
On Sunday, the Cobbers grabbed a 2-1 lead after doubles, but the Knights rallied for four straight-set wins during singles to pull out the victory and improve to 21-1 on the season and 7-0 in MIAC play.
Leading the comeback were Purnell and Mark Conrad (So./Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong), who both dropped only a single game in winning their singles matches.
“Mark and Christian were as focused on their singles matches as they were in locating the nearest Chipotle on the drive back to Northfield.”
Erik Johnson (Jr./Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) and Patton McClelland (So./Rock Hill, S.C./Charlotte Latin School) picked up the other triumphs.
The Knights will host two matches next weekend to wrap up the regular season. Carleton faces Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, April 25 followed by a match vs. Saint John’s University on Sunday.