Stags Battle, Advance with Sweep of Cal Lutheran

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Late in doubles play, the top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags found themselves in unfamiliar territory, facing a potential 2-1 deficit if they couldn't break back on courts No. 1 and No. 3. The Stags' top pair Nikolai Parodi (CMC) and Julian Gordy (CMC) got their break back at 3-5, and then their final break at 7-all for a tough 9-7 win. Minutes earlier, CMS' No. 3 team Robert Liu (CMC) and Daniel Park (CMC) earned a similiarly hard fought 9-8(3) tie-break win, after breaking back in the ninth game, and then trading service holds for the final seven games. The doubles sweep was the 17th for the Stags in 30 dual matches this season. CMS is now 75-15 in dual match doubles play this season.

Singles play proved to be far less stressful for the Stags, despite closely contested matches at the top two positions that ultimately remained unfinished once the dual match had been clinched. Junior Avinash Vemuri (CMC) earned CMS' first singles win at No. 6 with a 6-1, 6-0 victory for his 21st of the season. Sophomore Daniel Park (CMC) then earned the clinch, a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 5 in his first singles action since March 31. Parodi at No. 1, Oscar Burney (CMC) at No. 3, and Gordy at No. 4 all had one set leads when the dual match was decided.

CMS improves to 27-3 overall and 8-0 in conference play. The Stags advance to their 13th consecutuve SCIAC Tournament Championship match tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. against No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. This will be the second meeting in the past three weeks between the Sixth St. rivals, with the Stags earning a 9-0 victory at CMS on April 12.

#5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. Cal Lutheran (0)
May 4, 2018 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) - SCIAC Tournament Semifinal

Doubles
1. Julian Gordy / Nikolai Parodi (CMS) def. Yahn Gawrit/Lucas Tilly (CLU) 9-7
2. Oscar Burney Jack Katzman (CMS) def. Andrew Tufenkian/Dara Kashani (CLU) 8-2
3. Robert Liu/Daniel Park (CMS) def. Ransom Braaten/Joshua Legardy (CLU) 9-8 (7-3)

Singles
1. Nikolai Parodi (CMS) vs. Yahn Gawrit (CLU) 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
2. Jack Katzman (CMS) vs. Ransom Braaten (CLU) 3-6, 3-1, unfinished
3. Oscar Burney (CMS) vs. Lucas Tilly (CLU) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
4. Julian Gordy (CMS) vs. Dara Kashani (CLU) 6-2, unfinished
5. Daniel Park (CMS) def. Mike Sulahian (CLU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Avinash Vemuri (CMS) def. Sebastian Ariza (CLU) 6-1, 6-0

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