CMS Men's Tennis Pushes SCIAC Streak to 150 With 8-1 Win over Chapman
ORANGE, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team won its 150th consecutive SCIAC-sponsored match with an 8-1 win over No. 33 Chapman on Saturday afternoon.
CMS improves to 16-4 overall with its ninth straight win, as well as 6-0 in the SCIAC. The win guarantees CMS the top seed and hosting rights for the semifinals of the SCIAC post season tournament, and marks the 150th consecutive win in a SCIAC-sponsored match, dating back to this date in 2005 (144 regular season, six postseason). Redlands had the previous record of 143 straight from 1963-76, all in the regular season, and today's win enables CMS to establish the new standard for consecutive regular season matches victories.
CMS took a 2-1 lead after doubles behind a second win in as many days from No. 1 pair Matthew Robinson and Christian Settles. Advik Mareedu and Warren Pham followed with an 8-5 win at No. 3, before Chapman salvaged the final doubles point at No. 2.
Settles picked up the first singles win for CMS at No. 4, where he won 6-3, 6-3, followed by another straight set win from Daniel Blackman at No. 6. Pham earned the clincher at No. 5 with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Pham has now won nine straight singles matches and 11 of his last 12. Freer got his eighth straight win at No. 3, leaving only Mareedu and Robinson at the top two positions still on court.
In a re-match of the ITA West Region singles championship match from early October, Mareedu once again prevailed over Caleb Wilkins in straight sets. Mareedu led 6-3, 4-2 serving when Wilkins struck with a service break and then a hold to even the second set. The Stags' No. 1 then responded by winning the final eight points of the match to consolidate the 6-3, 6-4 win and further validate his position as the top singles player in the West. Robinson closed out the scoring in similar fashion at No. 2, facing some late second set resistance before completing a 6-1, 6-4 win.
CMS will try to end the regular season with a perfect SCIAC record for the 16th year in a row (including one abrupt conference season due to COVID in 2020), when it heads to Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.
#3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8) vs. #33 Chapman (1)
April 15, 2023 at Orange, CA. (Anderson Tennis Center)
Doubles
- Matthew Robinson/Christian Settles (CMS) def. Caleb Wilkins / Kameron DeHart (CHAP) 8-4
- Tommy Hays / Mac Caldwell (CHAP) def. Ian Freer/Daniel Blackman (CMS) 8-7(5)
- Advik Mareedu/Warren Pham (CMS) def. Jack Alexander / Josh Blinder (CHAP) 8-5
Singles
- Advik Mareedu (CMS) def. Caleb Wilkins (CHAP) 6-3, 6-4
- Matthew Robinson (CMS) def. Tommy Hays (CHAP) 6-1, 6-4
- Ian Freer (CMS) def. Danny Marsh (CHAP) 6-3, 6-1
- Christian Settles (CMS) def. Kameron DeHart (CHAP) 6-3, 6-3
- Warren Pham (CMS) def. Josh Blinder (CHAP) 6-1, 6-2
- Daniel Blackman (CMS) def. Mac Caldwell (CHAP) 6-2, 6-4
Order of completion
Doubles: 1, 3, 2
Singles: 4, 6, 5, 3, 1, 2