DECORAH, Iowa – The Carleton College men's tennis team dropped a 5-4 result at Luther College. The team result came down to final singles match of the day, No. 2 singles, a competition that required a super tiebreaker, which Luther claimed to pull out the narrow victory.
 
The Knights (9-3) are ranked No. 11 in the central region, while the Norse (9-9) landed at No. 18 in the most recent regional rankings.
 
"It was a great battle today, and the match could have gone either way," said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel. "Congratulations to Luther College for the hard-fought win."
 
Luther held a 2-1 lead after doubles. Carleton's point came from Aswath Viswanathan (Jr./Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and William Walsh (Sr./San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights), who teamed up for an 8-3 triumph at No. 3 doubles.
 
Tate Fuller (Fy./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) got back in the win column thanks to a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at No. 4 singles, tying the match at 2-2.
 
The Norse picked up a key result with a super tiebreaker at No. 1 singles, where Luther's Nyahi Motlojoa edged Carleton's Tarm Rojanasoonthon (Fy./Bangkok, Thailand/Chulalongkorn) in a matchup of regionally-ranked players.
 
Luther extended its lead to 4-2 with a win at No. 3 singles, but Viswanathan picked up his fifth straight win with a 7-5, 6-4 result at the fifth slot.
 
Will Stepanski (Jr./Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) remained undefeated in 2022 as he drew the match even at 4-4 after notching a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles.
 
"I always enjoy the exacting style of Will's play," said Zweifel. "He is as meticulous as a 19th century British author describing a chair."
 
All attention focused on the No. 2 singles match where Luther's Max Loen won both a tiebreaker in the second set and the super tiebreaker to capture team victory. He prevailed by a 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-7 tally.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts Hamline University for a 4:00 p.m. match on Sunday, April 11 at the Pat Lamb Tennis Courts.
 
#18 Luther College 5, #11 Carleton College 4
Singles competition
1. #11 Nyathi Motlojoa (LUTM) def. #6 Tarm Rojanasoonthon (CAR) 4-6, 6-0, 10-7
2. Max Loen (LUTM) def. Yuv Kataria (CAR) 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-7
3. Luke Westholder (LUTM) def. Xander Roti (CAR) 6-3, 6-4
4. Tate Fuller (CAR) def. Joaquim Fernandes (LUTM) 6-3, 6-2
5. Aswath Viswanathan (CAR) def. Dylan Wiemers (LUTM) 7-5, 6-4
6. Will Stepanski (CAR) def. Eli Young (LUTM) 6-4, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
1. #8 Max Loen/Nyathi Motlojoa (LUTM) def. Tarm Rojanasoonthon/Tate Fuller (CAR) 8-3
2. Francisco Navarrete/Luke Westholder (LUTM) def. Yuv Kataria/Aniketh Vipparla (CAR) 8-4
3. William Walsh/Aswath Viswanathan (CAR) def. Joaquim Fernandes/Nando Melo (LUTM) 8-3