< falling behind in doubles, the Carleton College men’s tennis team battled back in singles to earn a 6-3 victory over Saint John’s University in the regular-season finale for both squads. The win gave Carleton a 22-2 overall record this season, establishing a new team record and giving the team momentum heading into the MIAC Playoffs.
“Another great battle from our guys against a strong Saint John’s squad,” said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel. “We have had strong performances in singles all year, and we needed to draw from that well again today.”
The Johnnies prevailed by identical 8-6 scores at first and second doubles to grab the early lead. The Knights notched their first team point when Christian Nagy (Jr./Fairway, Kan./Pembroke Hill School) and Kevin Hurley (Fy./Novi, Mich./Univ. of Detroit Jesuit) combined on an 8-4 victory at the third slot.
“We had to employ a new combination at three doubles today, and we were fortunate that the chemistry between Christian and Kevin produced a strong exergonic reaction,” Zweifel said.
That win helped shift the momentum over to Carleton, and the hosts prevailed in five of the six singles contests.
Andrew Hwang (Sr./Brookfield, Wis./University School), Patton McClelland (So./Rock Hill, S.C./Charlotte Latin School), Ezra Frankel (So./Lincoln, Mass./Belmont Hill School), and Nikita Fomichev (So./Elkhorn, Neb./Elkhorn South) all secured straight-set victories as the quartet dropped a combined 11 games.
Frankel was credited with the match-clinching point after prevailing 6-3, 6-0 at fifth singles. He concluded the regular season with a 15-2 singles mark, second on the squad behind McClelland, who went 19-2 during the regular season.
Kevin Mei (Fy./Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) picked up the final triumph for the Knights on Sunday as he dispatched his opponent by a 6-4, 2-6, and 10-8 tally.
“We usually see Kevin Mei at the net as frequently as a Mafia informant in the witness protection program,” said Zweifel, “but caution was thrown to the wind today in that third set tiebreaker.”