Sweep of No. 25 Caltech Keeps CMS Perfect in Conference Play
CLAREMONT, Calif. - The No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team improved to 5-0 in conference play and 24-1 overall, defeating No. 25 Caltech 9-0 on Friday at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. The tandem of Jack Katzman (CMC) and Nikolai Parodi (CMC) led the Stags with dominant performances at the top two singles and doubles positions. CMS won at all six singles positions in straight sets for the second straight conference contest.
The Stags stayed perfect in conference doubles play with their fifth consecutive sweep against a SCIAC opponent. All three Stags doubles pairs earned early service breaks to gain an advantage that was never relinquished. Robert Liu (CMC) and Jake Williams (HMC) reunited for the first time since the fall and won at No. 3 doubles to get CMS its first point. Parodi and Julian Gordy (CMC) continued their consistent run at the top position with an 8-4 win, which was a re-match of the 2018 Ojai doubles final. Katzman and Oscar Burney (CMC) completed the doubles sweep with their 8-2 win at No. 2, their second win together in six days.
With six more singles wins, the Stags are now 126-24 in singles matches overall on the season, an .840 winning percentage. Parodi got back on track at No. 2 to give CMS its first singles win of the afternoon, while Liu won his fifth straight at No. 4 for the clinch. Freshman Nic Meister (CMC) was pressed early at No.5, but came back from a 4-2 deficit to win ten of the final eleven games and give the Stags an 8-0 lead. Captain Gordy then completed the shutout with his eighth straight and sixteenth of the year at No. 3.
Next up for Stags is their penultimate conference match at Cal Lutheran on Saturday. First serve is at 9:30 AM in Thousand Oaks. CMS will return to the Biszantz Family Tennis Center to face Division I UC Riverside at 3 PM, also on Saturday.
#1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (9) vs. #25 Caltech (0)
April 19, 2019 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
Doubles
1. Julian Gordy / Nikolai Parodi (CMS) def. Varun Shanker / James Wei (Caltech) 8-4
2. Jack Katzman / Oscar Burney (CMS) def. Patryk Kozlowski / Derik Nguyen (Caltech) 8-2
3. Robert Liu / Jake Williams (CMS) def. Matthew Gonzalgo / Jake Will (Caltech) 8-2
Singles
1. Jack Katzman (CMS) def. Varun Shanker (Caltech) 6-2, 6-2
2. Nikolai Parodi (CMS) def. James Wei (Caltech) 6-1, 6-1
3. Julian Gordy (CMS) def. Kevin Yu (Caltech) 6-3, 6-4
4. Robert Liu (CMS) def. Miha Valencic (Caltech) 6-0, 6-1
5. Nic Meister (CMS) def. Derik Nguyen (Caltech) 6-4, 6-1
6. Oscar Burney (CMS) def. Patryk Kozlowski (Caltech) 6-2, 6-3
Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 2, 4, 6, 1, 5, 3