Doubles Strength Leads Stags to 7-2 Win Over #8 Trinity
CMS Stags Tennis earned its second doubles sweep against a nationally ranked opponent in as many days, and then cruised to a 7-2 win over #8 Trinity on Saturday. Sophomores Warren Wood (Del Mar, CA) and Joe Dorn (Washington D.C. [pictured right]) continued to assert themselves as one of the top teams in the country with an 8-4 win at the #1 position. Wood then went on to defeat ITA Small College National champion Aaron Skinner 6-1, 6-3 at #1 singles, while Dorn got a straight set victory at #2 to lead CMS.
The Stags' doubles sweep was once again sparked by the smothering play of #2 team Neel Kotrappa (Jr. Capt - La Verne, CA) and Skyler Butts (Fr. - Santa Ana, CA). Butts and Kotrappa are 6-0 as a team and have not lost more than five games in a pro-set this spring. Third pair Nik Marino (So. - San Diego, CA) and Alex Lane (Sr. - Claremont, CA) completed the sweep for CMS with their 8-5 victory and third in a row as a team.
In the singles, CMS had great production from the top of the lineup, with the trio of sophomores Wood, Dorn, and Marino all winning comfortably in straight sets. Wood's win over Skinner marks the second win for Wood in six days over a player ranked in the top three nationally in singles. As easy as the top three positions were for CMS, #4 through #6 proved to be very formidable. Lane saw a 6-3, 5-2 lead and two match points returning at 4-5 disappear, as the Tigers won their final point in a three setter at #4. Trinity's first point came at #5 singles, where Jordan Mayer played nearly flawless all-court tennis in his win over senior Alex Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA). Rounding out CMS' scoring for the afternoon was captain Kotrappa's 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 win at #6.
Next up for CMS is the Stag-Hen Invitational Friday and Saturday March 15-16. The tournament features eight nationally ranked teams: Kenyon (1), Emory (2), CMS (4), Bowdoin (5), Case Western (7), Pomona-Pitzer (16), Skidmore (24), and Swarthmore (25). The Stags play #7 Case Western on Friday at 10:00 AM and will play either #1 Kenyon or #24 Skidmore on Friday afternoon. Final round matches conclude Saturday morning at 9:30 AM.
#4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (7) vs. #8 Trinity University (2)
March 9, 2013 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
Doubles
1. Joe Dorn / Warren Wood (CMS) def. Erick DelaFuente / Jordan Mayer (Trinity) 8-4
2. Skyler Butts / Neel Kotrappa (CMS) def. Nico Moreno / Charlie Curtis (Trinity) 8-2
3. Nikolas Marino / Alex Lane (CMS) def. Greg Haugen / Connor Dunn (Trinity) 8-5
Singles
1. Warren Wood (CMS) def. Aaron Skinner (Trinity) 6-1, 6-3
2. Joe Dorn (CMS) def. Erick DelaFuente (Trinity) 6-2, 6-4
3. Nikolas Marino (CMS) def. Greg Haugen (Trinity) 6-2, 6-3
4. Nico Moreno (Trinity) def. Alex Lane (CMS) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Jordan Mayer (Trinity) def. Alex Johnson (CMS) 6-2, 6-1
6. Neel Kotrappa (CMS) def. Charlie Curtis (Trinity) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Singles: 5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 4