Powered by singles, CMS sneaks by Texas-Tyler and into NCAA quarterfinals
CLAREMONT, Calif. – Down 3-0 after doubles, the No. 2-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team came all the way back for the 5-4 victory over Texas-Tyler in the third round of the NCAA Division III Championships on May 14 at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. Saturday's win advances CMS to the NCAA D-III Quarterfinals in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Monday, May 23. CMS, the defending national champions, have made seven-straight trips to at least the quarterfinal round.
The win Saturday marked the second time CMS has defeated Texas-Tyler in Claremont this season, with the first match-up back in March at the Stag-Hen Invitational, a 7-2 CMS victory.
The last time CMS got swept in doubles, they lost to Bowdoin 7-2 on March 20 and it has been seven years since CMS won a match after getting swept in doubles. That comeback came against UC Davis in 2009. The year prior, CMS accomplished the feat against UC Santa Cruz in 2008.
When CMS and Texas-Tyler faced off at the Stag-Hen Invite, the Stags took the top two doubles matches. On Saturday, Joey Fischer and Pablo Gomez beat junior Glenn Hull (Brookings, OR) and senior Bryan Mehall (Snowmass Village, CO) 8-3 at #3 doubles for the first point of the match. Arthur Fagundes and Frankie Fischer then topped senior captain Skyler Butts (Santa Ana, CA) and doubles partner, junior Daniel Morkovine (San Carlos, CA), 8-6 in the top position. Then in a tiebreaker, Texas-Tyler's Daniel Budd and Jose McIntyre closed out the doubles sweep with a 9-8 (8-6) win over freshman Julian Gordy (Tarzana, CA) and senior Oliver Seifert (Los Altos, CA) at #2 doubles. All three matches, CMS was up service breaks, and held two match points at #2 doubles serving for the match at 8-7.
Momentum shifted in singles however, as CMS quickly won points at #6, #5, #2 and #3 singles to move ahead 4-3. Straight-set victories came for senior Lestter Yeh (Arcadia, CA) at #6 singles (6-2, 6-0), at #5 (6-0, 6-1) for sophomore Patrick Wildman (Cincinnati, OH), at #2 (6-4, 6-0) for Hull and at #3 (6-2, 6-1) for Morkovine. Hull took command of the match at 4-5 deuce, after Fagundes took a medical timeout for an ankle injury. From that point on, Hull did not lost a game.
At #4 singles, Texas-Tyler's Joey Fischer defeated junior Max Macey (Wilton, CT) 6-0, 7-6 (10-8) to tie the match at 4-4. Macey was blanked in the first set and forced a tiebreaker in the second set, but was unable to force a third set which put the Stags' fate in the hands of Butts, the senior captain.
Butts fell in the first set against Budd in #1 singles. Motivated by wanting to keep CMS' title defense alive in the seniors' last match at Biszantz and make sure all of the seniors made Claremont McKenna College's graduation ceremony on time, Butts easily took the final two sets for the 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. An error by Budd sealed the comeback win for Butts and the Stags.
#2 ClaremontMuddScripps 5, #31 Texas-Tyler 4
Doubles competition
1. Arthur Fagundes/Frankie Fischer (UTT) def. Skyler Butts/Daniel Morkovine (CMS) 8-6
2. Daniel Budd/Jose McIntyre (UTT) def. Julian Gordy/Oliver Seifert (CMS) 9-8 (8-6)
3. Joey Fischer/Pablo Gomez (UTT) def. Glenn Hull/Bryan Mehall (CMS) 8-3
Singles competition
1. Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Daniel Budd (UTT) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
2. Glenn Hull (CMS) def. Arthur Fagundes (UTT) 6-4, 6-0
3. Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Pablo Gomez (UTT) 6-2, 6-1
4. Joey Fischer (UTT) def. Max Macey (CMS) 6-0, 7-6 (10-8)
5. Patrick Wildman (CMS) def. Jose McIntyre (UTT) 6-0, 6-1
6. Lestter Yeh (CMS) def. Ryan Elwood (UTT) 6-2, 6-0
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,5,2,3,4,1)
NCAA Regionals Round 3