<rleton College’s men’s tennis team clinched a spot in the upcoming MIAC playoffs with a 9-0 win at Macalester College on Monday night. Under the lights of Macalester’s home court, Carleton swept every match in straight sets, with no player losing more than five games in their contest.
The Knights’ victory was spearheaded by their doubles teams. Sophomores Colin Russell and Winston Park, Carleton’s first doubles team, kick started the Knight’s victory with an 8-2 victory. Coach Stephan Zweifel’s team was also led by two other doubles team. Seniors Kartheek Koneru and Peter Varnum, Carleton’s second doubles team, won 8-3 for their fourth win in five contests, while Brendan Cooper ’08 and Julian Tokarev ’09 picked up their sixth win in seven matches by defeating their Macalester opponents 8-3.
The win over Macalester College capped off a weekend of competition against formidable MIAC opponents. On Sunday, the Knights defeated St. John’s University 6-3. Against St. John’s, the Carleton Knights were led by their singles play. Koneru stepped into the first singles role for Russell and proceeded to win his match 6-2, 6-2.
The men’s tennis team was also guided by the performances of Park, who won his second singles 6-1, 6-0, and Tokarev, who showed grit in his three-set comeback victory at fifth singles.
Unfortunately for the Knights, they needed something more than grit to earn a victory against perennial MIAC powerhouse Gustavus Aldophus College on Saturday. Coach Zweifel’s team suffered a tough 9-0 loss. The Knights could not overcome the No. 5 team in the nation, according to the latest ITA Division III poll, as Cooper was the only Knight to not lose in straight sets.
The Knights were looking to continue their hot streak yesterday hosting St. Olaf, but the rain forced a postponement until today. The match will be played on the Bell Field Courts at 3:30.
On Sunday the Knights will wrap up their regular season MIAC schedule as they host a double-header in preparation for the upcoming MIAC tournament. First, Carleton will take on Hamline University at 10:30 a.m. Later in the day, the Knights will play against Concordia College-Moorhead at 2:00 p.m. Both of these matches will take place on Bell Field. These matches should prepare Carleton for the MIAC playoffs, which will be held at Gustavus Aldolphus College in St. Peter on April 25th and April 26th.