WHITTIER, Calif. — The Middlebury College men’s tennis team, ranked No. 3 in the most recent NCAA Division III poll, kept up its winning ways on its annual spring break trip to California, improving to 7-0 heading into a match played late on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the Panthers posted a pair of 9-0 victories in matches played at Whittier College over the host Poets and again in the evening against Pacific.
The Panthers cruised through the doubles matches against Whittier (1-9). Palmer Campbell and Peter Heidrich were victorious in the top spot (8-5), while Ari Smolyar and Noah Farrell posted an 8-3 win at No. 2. In the third flight, Chris Frost and William de Quant tallied an 8-1 win.
In singles play, Middlebury posted straight-set victories in five of the six matches. Smolyar (6-1, 6-1) and Campbell (6-2, 6-4) claimed the top-two flights, while Jackson Frons was up a set at No. 4 before his opponent retired. At No. 5 and No. 6, de Quant (7-5, 6-3) and Kyle Schlanger (6-1, 6-2) picked up wins, while Courtney Mountifield battled back from a set down for the win (5-7, 6-2, 1-0) in the No. 4 spot.
Against Pacific (8-2), the Panthers again picked up each of the doubles points. Campbell and Heidrich earned an 8-2 win in the top spot, while Smolyar and Farrell along with Frost and de Quant notched identical 8-5 wins in the other two matches.
During singles action, Farrell cruised, 6-3, 6-0, in the top flight, while Frons was a 7-5, 6-3 victor at No. 2. At No. 3 Mountifield earned another three-set win (6-7, 6-2, 10-6). Allen Jackson posted a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 4; de Quant edged his opponent at No. 5 (7-5, 6-3); and Timo van der Geest completed the sweep with a 6-1, 7-6 win at No. 6.
On Monday, the Panthers topped No. 21 UC Santa Cruz, 6-3, despite dropping two of three doubles matches — only the No. 2 tandem of Smolyar and Farrell, prevailed, 8-4.
But Jackson, Smolyar, Frons, Farrell and Campbell all won their singles matches in straight sets to keep Middlebury unbeaten before a Tuesday match vs. No. 9 Pomona-Pitzer that was set for 7 p.m. Pacific time.