Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 2014 Stag-Hen Invitational Champions

(Photo by Ellen Friedlander) — Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 2014 Stag-Hen Invitational Champions (Photo by Ellen Friedlander)

Posted: Mar 15, 2014

CMS claims Stag-Hen title with 8-1 win over #1 Wash U

CMS Stags Tennis won its third straight Stag-Hen Invitational title on Saturday, defeating top ranked Wash U 8-1. It was CMS' fifth Stag-Hen title in the tournament's seven years.

The Stags stayed perfect in doubles for the tournament, sweeping the Bears to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the singles. CMS' #2 team of Nik Marino (Jr. - San Diego) and Zhenya Pereverzin (Sr. Capt - Clackamas, OR) got the Stags on the scoreboard first with an 8-2 win. Juniors Warren Wood (Del Mar, CA) and Joe Dorn (Washington D.C.) won their sixth straight at the Stags' top position before setting up the sweep for #3 team Skyler Butts (So. - Santa Ana, CA) and Neel Kotrappa (Sr. - La Verne, CA). Butts and Kotrappa had two break leads from 3-0 to 7-4, despite being broken three times in that stretch. Wash U's team then broke, held, and broke serve again to even the match at 7-all. Butts and Kotrappa got their final break of the match at 15, to give them an 8-7 lead, and then Butts served out the match at love.

As anticipated, the singles was hard fought, with three of the six matches splitting sets. Wood put CMS up 4-0 with his 6-3, 6-3 win at the top position. He is now 9-1 in dual matches and undefeated against Division III competition this spring. The Stags got the clinch from their senior captain Pereverzin, a straight set victor at #6 for his ninth dual match win without the loss of a set this season. Marino's 7-5, 6-1 win at #3 put CMS up 6-0, leaving Dorn, Butts, and Daniel Morkovine (Fr. - San Carlos, CA) to try and rally from a set down at the #2, #4, and #5 spots. Despite losing the first set 6-0 and trailing by a break of serve in the second, Morkovine closed out the second set with two straight breaks, and then won the deciding match tie-break by a seven point margin. At #4, Butts saw a 4-1 lead disappear in the first set, but came back to win the second 6-1, and win the match tie-break by 10-7. Dorn fell at #2 for the first time this season, but took Carswell to his limits in a 7-6(5), 7-6(6) thriller to complete the dual match.

The Stags are now 12-0 on the season and will next face #4 Amherst on Friday, March 21 at 10:00 AM at CMS' Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

#3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8) vs. #1 Washington Univ St. Louis (1)
March 15, 2014 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) - Stag-Hen Invitational Championship

Doubles
1. Joe Dorn / Warren Wood (CMS) def. Ross Putterman / Jeremy Bush (Wash U) 8-6
2. Nik Marino / Zhenya Pereverzin (CMS) def. John Carswell / Josh Cogan (Wash U) 8-2
3. Neel Kotrappa / Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Kevin Chu / Jeffrey Hirsh (Wash U) 9-7

Singles
1. Warren Wood (CMS) def. Ross Putterman (Wash U) 6-3, 6-3
2. John Carswell (Wash U) def. Joe Dorn (CMS) 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
3. Nikolas Marino (CMS) def. Jeremy Bush (Wash U) 7-5, 6-1
4. Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Tim Noack (Wash U) 6-7(5), 6-1, (10-7)
5. Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Tyler Kratky (Wash U) 0-6, 6-4, (10-3)
6. Zhenya Pereverzin (CMS) def. Kevin Chu (Wash U) 6-4, 6-2

Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Singles: 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2

2014 Stag-Hen Order of Finish