Stags Battle To Get 5-4 Win Over #4 Middlebury
CMS Men’s Tennis won its fifth straight non-conference
match and third straight against nationally ranked opponents, with
an exciting 5-4 win over 4th ranked Middlebury on Friday. Junior Eric
MacColl (Greenbrae, CA [pictured right]) won at #5
singles and #3 doubles to lead the Stags.
The doubles matches set the tone for what would be a series of
thrilling finishes on the day. MacColl and partner Thomas
Keiffer (Jr. – La Jolla, CA) got CMS its first
point with a convincing 8-3 win at #3 doubles. With #1 and #2
doubles both up service breaks, it appeared as if CMS was poised
for a sweep. However, Middlebury saved two match points at #2
doubles, and four match points at #1 doubles to bring both matches
to exciting climaxes. At #1, Guillaume
Schils (Sr. – Shaker Heights, OH) and Lawrence
Wang (Sr. – Orange, CA) had match points
returning at 4-7 and serving at 7-5, before falling to a determined
Middlebury team. At #2, Robbie
Erani (Fr. – New York, NY) and Ronald
Wu (So. – Los Altos, CA) couldn’t convert
their first two match points at 6-7, 15-40, but played a great
tie-breaker to win 9-8(4) and put the Stags up 2-1.
In the singles, MacColl was the first Stag to come off court
victorious, winning 6-4, 7-5 at #5. After dropping #4 singles, the
Stags’ Victor
Chien (Fr. – Diamond Bar, CA) notched his
fifteenth win of the season in straight sets at #6, putting CMS up
4-2. With positions 1-3 all in the third sets, it was still either
team’s match to win. Middlebury won the #3 position by a 6-3,
1-6, 6-3 score, narrowing the Stags’ lead to 4-3. Middlebury
then won at #2 to even the dual at four matches all. That left
senior captain Lawrence Wang at #1 to try and close out the win for
CMS. Wang got up an early break and held on for a 4-2 lead, before
Middlebury’s Conrad Olson got hot. Olson held for 3-4, broke
for 4-all, and then held for his first lead, only one game from the
match, at 5-4. With Wang serving at 4-5, the closest Conrad could
get was 30-all, as Wang held serve, then broke for 6-5, and served
out the match to give the Stags the victory.
CMS is now 17-3 overall and takes on 5th ranked Williams and SCIAC
opponent Occidental in a double-header on Saturday.
#3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5 vs #4
Middlebury 4
March 27, 2009 at CMS (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
Doubles
1. David Farah / Andrew Thomson (Midd) def. Guillaume Schils /
Lawrence Wang (CMS) 9-7
2. Robbie Erani / Ronald Wu (CMS) def. Andrew Lee / Conrad Olson
(Midd) 9-8(4)
3. Thomas Keiffer / Eric MacColl (CMS) def. Chris Mason / Andrew
Peters (Midd) 8-3
Singles
1. Lawrence Wang (CMS) def. Conrad Olson (Midd) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
2. Andrew Thomson (Midd) def. Robbie Erani (CMS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Andrew Lee (Midd) def Mikey Lim (CMS) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
4. Andrew Peters (Midd) def. Russell Brockett (CMS) 6-3, 6-3
5. Eric MacColl (CMS) def. Richard Bonfiglio (Midd) 6-4, 7-5
6. Victor Chien (CMS) def. Derrick Angle (Midd) 7-6(1), 6-3
Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 5, 4, 6, 3, 2, 1