Claremont, CA - The Men's tennis team played Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a top ten showdown. The Ephs came out strong in doubles, as
Nicholas Chen and partner/fan
Matt Kandel chopped their way to a strong 6-4 win. This match was played following NCAA Division I rules, so the doubles was only one set, and all three doubles matches counted for one point, which went to the team that won at least 2 out of 3. Shortly after Chen finished the job,
Shawn Berdia and
Simon Volkema followed suit, winning 6-3. The third doubles match would go to a tiebreaker, as
Leon Liu and
Andrew Chong saved multiple match points. The pair of Ephs played brave tennis, and Chong's crisp backhand volley would put away the relatively light doubles sweep for the Ephs.
Singles play opened up well, with the Ephs taking four first sets. Unfortunately, up 4-1 Volkema played a gutsy deuce point which ended in him diving through the gate while hitting an on the run forehand. The forehand fell just wide, but Volkema was forced to retire from the match. On one, Kandel split sets, while Berdia and Liu won and lost in straights, respectively. Kandel found himself up 5-3 in the third set, but a couple tight deuce points fell the way of the Stags, and he lost in a back and forth battle.
Chen and
Kush Anand both won the first set, but Chen dropped the second in a tiebreaker, and Anand went down 5-4 before the rain fell hard and the match was delayed until the following day. On Sunday, Chen came out and dominated his opponent, picking his limited game apart, ultimately winning 6-1 in the third set. Anand found himself in a tiebreaker, but went down 5-0 after some great tennis from his opponent. Anand battled his way back to 3-5, but it was too little too late, and they headed to a third set. The Stags player found his rhythm in the final set, and went on to win.
Eph head coach
Dan Greenberg said of the match, "Today was a tough loss, never fun to fall just short in such a competitive match. I'm proud of how the team battled on every court, and really happy with our doubles play."
The Ephs return to action tomorrow against Gustavus Adolphus.
Doubles
Chen/Liu (WIL) def. Feng/Lumba (CMS) 6-4
Volkema/Berdia (WIL) def. Mareedu/Reddy (CMS) 6-3
Liu/Chong (WIL) def. Rojanasoonthon/Kim (CMS) 7-6(4)
Singles
Mareedu (CMS) def. Kandel (WIL) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
Berdia (WIL) def. Freer (CMS) 6-3, 6-3
Chen (WIL) def. Robinson (CMS) 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-1
Gupta (CMS) def. Volkema (WIL) 4-4 ret.
Rojanasoonthon (CMS) def. Anand (WIL) 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-0
Pham (CMS) def. Liu (WIL) 6-4, 6-3
