NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The No. 41-ranked Carleton College men's tennis clinched a berth in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs, thanks to a 9-0 triumph over crosstown rival St. Olaf College. The Knights (14-2, 6-0 MIAC) improved to 27-2 against the Oles (5-7, 4-4 MIAC) since the start of the 2022-03 season.
 
Carleton prevailed in three very tight doubles clashes before carrying the momentum over to singles where the Knights won each contest in straight sets.
 
"We had to dig deep in all of our doubles matches against a spirited St. Olaf attack," said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel. "As I told the guys on their changeover, you can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails."
 
Rookies Aiden Patel and Ezra Bernhard got their first taste of the rivalry and notched the first team point for Carleton, prevailing 8-6 over Madden Vanderwerf and Daniel Meunier at No. 3 doubles. It was their sixth consecutive win and improved their season ledger to a team-best 12-2.
 
Zach Leslie and Baiyun Jing held off a rally from the St. Olaf duo of Marjan Veldic and Ryan Birnesser to take the No. 2 doubles match by an 8-7 (7-5) tally. After going down an early break, Carleton's top tandem — Jack Rivkin and Akshay Garapati — held off the Oles' Bogdon Vizoli and Lou Smith by a narrow 8-7 (8-6) margin at No. 1 doubles.
 
Leslie made quick work of Birnesser at No. 5 singles, claiming their match by a 6-1, 6-0 score. Jasper Yang improved to 13-1 on the year and secured the team result for the Knights thanks to his 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Veldic at the second slot.
 
Bernhard bested Vanderwerf 6-2, 6-2 at the fourth slot, while Rivkin dispatched David Azcona by the same score at No. 6 singles.
 
Garapati notched his 12th consecutive singles victory as he defeated Smith 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 at the third slot. Jing completed the Carleton singles sweep with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph at No. 1 singles.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts No. 30 Gustavus Adolphus College at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 19. Both squads are undefeated in MIAC play with only 10 days left in the regular season.