LAKEVILLE, Minn. – The Carleton College men's tennis won its eighth consecutive match, dispatching of Macalester College by an 8-1 tally. The Knights improved to 16-2 overall and 7-0 in MIAC play. Wednesday's result clinched a top-2 seed for the Knights in next week's MIAC Playoffs, and with that, a first-round bye and a home match in the semifinal round.
 
Due to rainy weather, the match was moved indoors to Lifetime Fitness. "It was a dark and stormy night, which at times described our mood and spirited play," said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel.
 
Carleton jumped out to a 2-1 lead after picking up wins by scores of 8-6 at both No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Tarm Rojanasoonthon (So./Bangkok, Thailand/Chulalongkorn) and Tate Fuller (So./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) prevailed at the top spot, while Yuv Kataria (Jr./Kolkata, India/Weil Academy & College Prep) and Jack Rivkin (Fy./Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) teamed up for the first time since late January and secured the win at the third slot.
 
Maclester (10-6, 6-2 MIAC) notched its lone victory of the evening by an 8-4 margin at No. 2 doubles.
 
The Knights swept all six singles matches in straight sets.
 
Rojanasoonthon improved to 13-2 in dual matches after registering a 6-2, 6-2 triumph at No. 1 singles. Fuller prevailed in the closest singles match, picking up his 10th win at No. 2 singles this season after defeating his opponent by a 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) score.
 
Kataria, the defending MIAC Athlete of the Week, reached double-digit victories on the season when he added a 6-2, 6-1 result at No. 3 singles. Zach Leslie (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) won his fourth straight match, this one by a 6-4, 6-4 tally at the fourth spot in the lineup.
 
At No. 5 singles, Cooper Kline (Fy./Los Angeles, Calif./The Buckley School) prevailed 6-4, 6-2 for his team-leading 14th victory of the regular season, while Will Stepanski (Sr./Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) scored a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles to improve to 9-0 this season.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton faces No. 13-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College (21-10, 7-0 MIAC) on Saturday, April 22 in a battle of teams unbeaten in conference play. The victor will clinch at least a share of the MIAC regular-season crown. Due to the weather forecast, that match has been moved indoors at the Rochester Athletic Club with a scheduled 5:00 p.m. start time.