NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's tennis team posted a 9-0 win over cross-town foe St. Olaf College, clinching the Knights' 16th consecutive trip to the upcoming MIAC postseason tournament.
The Knights (14-2, 6-0 MIAC) have won their last six matches overall and improved to 25-2 against the Oles since 2003.
Tarm Rojanasoonthon (So./Bangkok, Thailand/Chulalongkorn) and
Ozzie Viswanathan (Sr./Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) teamed up for the first time since March 20 but re-gained their chemistry with an 8-4 triumph at No. 1 singles.
Yuv Kataria (Jr./Kolkata, India/Weil Academy & College Prep) and
Aniketh Vipparla (Jr./Cary, N.C./Green Hope) cruised to an 8-2 win at the second slot, while
Zach Leslie (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) and
Jack Rivkin (Fy./Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) completed the doubles sweep with an 8-6 result at No. 3 doubles.
Rojanasoonthon won a back-and-forth No. 1 singles match, prevailing 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7). Kataria was also victorious in a super tiebreaker, adding a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3) victory at No. 3 singles.
Will Stepanski (Sr./Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) improved to 8-0 this season—the highest win percentage on the roster—after securing a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles.
"It is always a treat to watch the unassuming
Will Stepanski in action," said Carleton head coach
Stephan Zweifel. "The man once ran a marathon because he was unable to find an Uber."
Tate Fuller (So./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) and
Cooper Kline (Fy./Los Angeles, Calif./The Buckley School) also won in straight sets. The former was victorious 6-3, 6-1 at the second slot, while the latter notched his eighth consecutive victory as he added a 6-2, 6-0 win at the fifth spot.
Viswanathan led at No. 4 singles 5-0 when his opponent withdrew due to an injury.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will face regionally-ranked Luther College in a match moved indoors at the Rochester (Minn.) Athletic Club. Start time on Saturday, April 15 is slated for 3:45 p.m.