NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's tennis team topped crosstown rival St. Olaf College by a 6-1 margin and clinched a berth in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and a top-two seed in the tournament.
The Knights (16-5, 7-0) swept doubles before taking five of the six singles matches in straight sets.
"I appreciate how our team focuses on the matter at hand, rather than needlessly looking ahead at possible match ups," said Carleton head coach
Stephan Zweifel. "If there is one thing that I have learned by understanding the German language, it is to live in the present, especially if you have difficulty conjugating any other tense."
Owen Heidtke and
Baiyun Jing got Carleton started with a 6-0 victory at No. 3 doubles. The Knights' No. 16 nationally-ranked doubles paring of
Akshay Garapati and
Jack Rivkin followed with a 6-2 win atop the lineup. At No. 2 doubles,
Zach Leslie and
Yihe Zhang battled back from a 4-1 deficit to force a tiebreaker, which they won for a 7-6 (7-3) triumph
Leslie carried that momentum over to doubles and secured a 6-3, 6-0 result at No. 3 singles for his fifth consecutive victory.
Ezra Bernhard was even more efficient in notching his team-best 16th win of the season, this one by a 6-2, 6-0 tally at No. 4 singles. Jing then secured the team victory for Carleton with a 6-1, 6-2 outcome at No. 2 singles, his 15th win of the season.
No. 34-ranked Garapati fought off a first-set challenge from Bogdan Vizoli at No. 1 singles to claim a 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 triumph.
Miles Lee added a 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) win at No. 6 singles.
St. Olaf (7-8, 3-3 MIAC) earned its lone team point at No. 5 singles where Jacob Schultz held off Rivkin by a 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (12-10) margin.
Up Next for the Knights
The last two teams undefeated in MIAC play will meet on Saturday, April 18 when Carleton visits No. 17 Gustavus Adolphus College (13-6, 6-0 MIAC) for an 11:00 a.m. match.
